Human Rights Influencing Targeted Sanctions: On the Role of International Treaties on Human Rights and Treaty Mechanisms in Relation to Sanctions

This chapter aims to identify the incentives for the emerging law of international sanctions within universal international treaties, the compliance mechanisms established by these treaties, and the environment in which these mechanisms operate. The relationship between human rights and targeted sanctions is examined through the lens of international human rights law, which comprises various covenants and treaties widely accepted by the international community. Different elements within this system approach sanctions in diverse ways, forming opinions across various forums. Notably, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) Commentary No. 8 addresses sanctions directly, focusing on comprehensive sanctions as of 1997. Once were the individually targeted sanctions discussed in front of the Human Rights Committee, in “Sayadi and Vinck v Belgium” in 2008. Increasing references to sanctions can be observed in self-assessment reports presented to treaty bodies and in the Universal Periodic Review; sometimes emphasising the political and sometimes the legal dimension of the debate. Despite varied views, there is a growing interest among human rights treaty bodies, the Human Rights Council and special procedures in defining the human rights boundaries of international sanctions.