Memo: The Siracusa Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): History and Interpretation in Public Health Context

This memo will present the history of the Siracusa Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and how they have been used in the years since they have been drafted. Section II describes the methodology that was used to develop this memo. The history of the Siracusa Principles presented in Section III includes a discussion of the social and political context at the time that the Principles were developed and the response of the international community to potential human rights violations in various countries. Section IV examines the Siracusa Principles in greater detail and Section V presents findings about the application of the Siracusa Principles in various public health contexts