Martin ScheininHappy birthday, #ICCPR which entered into force 50 years ago. Almost 90% of states have ratified it, and a clear majority also the optional protocol allowing individual complaints. This is the one international treaty that I have worked most hours on, as academic, practitioner and treaty body member
2/Despite these difficult times, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has been a success story in making the world better: No treaty has been more important for the progressive evolution of International Human Rights Law as global law, gradual abolition of capital punishment, ...
3/... protection and promotion of rights of minorities and indigenous peoples, a holistic approach to non-discrimination, or many cross-cutting 'grammar' issues such as reservations, jurisdiction, succession and continuity of obligations, derogation, etc. And, of course, also the #ICESCR turned 50
4/Fun fact: Over my 8 years on the Human Rights Committee, I always carried in my jacket a pocket version of the #ICCPR. No matter what was the occasion, one always found something new when faced with new questions. Here's a general lesson: real facts give life to the interpretation of a treaty text