Russian Federation Accused of Grave Human Rights Violations

On February 24, Professor and Leir Institute Senior Fellow, John Cerone, together with colleagues at Loyola Law School, filed another case with a UN human rights body – this time with the Human Rights Committee, which monitors compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this case, he and his colleagues are representing Yuliya Stepanova and Vitaly Stepanov, whistleblowers of the Russian doping program. It is the first ever claim before a UN human rights body denouncing doping as a violation of fundamental human rights protected by international treaty law. The complaint accuses the Russian Federation of grave human rights violations, including the prohibitions on forced labor and medical experimentation. Professor Cerone now has three cases currently pending before UN human rights treaty bodies. Fletcher students and Fletcher alumni worked with Professor Cerone on all three cases.