Confronting a Repressive Regime: Individuals in the Human Rights Committee

• In Event: Human Rights & Urban and Local Politics Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual Poster Session: Human Rights on a National and International Scale Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

Why do individuals file human rights complaints (also known as petitions) in international law against repressive regimes? Victims of human rights violations fear retaliation from their repressive governments, and they their physical well-being at risk. Nonetheless, 2756 petitions have been filed in the Human Rights Committee (HRC) of which 863 have been against repressive governments. I build upon the domestic political mobilization literature and argue this is a similar, measurable international form of anti-regime mobilization. Organizations such as human rights advocacy groups or opposition political parties use this institution as a form of anti-regime mobilization. Individual characteristics such as international residence and refugee status lessen victims' fears of targeted retaliation, increasing their probability of filing human rights petitions. I present an original data-set of over 850 petitions against 56 repressive regimes as the first systemic study of individual involvement in international, human rights institutions. I supplement these personal data with a quantitative analysis of petitions filed against repressive countries over time and qualitative case studies tracing the theoretical mechanisms from elite interviews. I find that the fear of retaliation is grounded, recognized by members of the HRC and detailed in numerous petitions. Third parties' active involvement lessen this fear, and the majority of petitions are from individuals represented by counsel. Individuals often file while living in another country, making it more difficult and costlier for their prior government to retaliate. Analyzing three levels of politics-- individuals, states, and international institutions-- this paper presents a careful look at the personal motivations of individuals in a system designed to protect them from state abuse. The willingness of victims of human rights violation to file petitions is critical for the effectiveness of these institutions, so understanding individual motivations for filing is an important step if advancing human rights and international institutions.

Author

• Rachel Schoner, University of California, San Diego