Innocence success in the United Nations
A group of academics and legal professionals from North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia came together last year to establish a new non-governmental organisation: the Wrongful Conviction International Law Task Force.
Since its inception, the Task Force has submitted over 15 reports to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (HRC), with further work actively underway.
At The University of Manchester Law School, , Suzanne Gower, and Nicola Campbell, along with volunteer students from the , have contributed pro bono research to support the Task Force鈥檚 efforts. Their briefing materials recently informed a report submitted to the HRC in August against the treatment of incarcerated individuals in Vietnam.
The HRC report strongly reflects the Task Force鈥檚 central message: international law requires a mechanism to prove innocence and secure exoneration, alongside the right to appointed legal counsel and access to essential resources for pursuing such claims. Additionally, compensation must be provided upon exoneration.
As more experts encourage UN bodies to endorse these principles, the case for recognising them as universal human rights grows stronger. A critical mass of support is steadily taking shape. The Manchester Innocence Project is helping lead the way as part of the Task Force.
Claire McGourlay reflects:
The work of the Task Force demonstrates that wrongful convictions are not only a miscarriage of justice for individuals but profound human rights violation. By doing this work as a global team, we are helping to build the international momentum needed to establish innocence, exoneration, and compensation as universal rights.
This is not just about law; it is about restoring dignity and hope to those who have been failed by justice systems around the world.