Human Rights

UK to Pilot COVID Certificates

April 07, 2021

As the U.K. heads towards reopening the economy, Britain will start piloting domestic COVID certificates this month, granting access to selected venues including sports stadiums and nightclubs, to those who have had the vaccine or natural immunity, but businesses, including pubs and restaurants, will not be required to ask customers to prove their COVID status due to concerns of discrimination.
Venice Commission Publishes 13 Opinions

March 29, 2021

The Council of Europe’s Venice Commission published 13 opinions that were adopted during its plenary session , which was held entirely online due to continued COVID-19 restriction.
EU to Propose Digital Green Pass for Travel

March 03, 2021

Politico reports that the European Commission will propose a new digital green pass to re-open travel that will include proof of the traveller's vaccination as well as the results of recent COVID-19 tests.
Civil Rights Coalition Petitions EU to Ban Biometric Surveillance

February 24, 2021

As the EU plans to announce new laws on artificial intelligence this year, a coalition made up of civil and digital rights groups has launched a petition to pressure the European Union into banning biometric mass surveillance due to systemic abuses of people’s biometric data.
Ukraine Takes Russia To ECtHR Over 'Targeted Assassinations'

February 24, 2021

Ukraine has filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) accusing Russia of the "targeted assassinations" of "perceived opponents" which Kyiv says is in a violation of the « right to life » stipulated in Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
UK To Create New Role to Protect Freedom of Speech

February 17, 2021

The UK government has announced plans for the creation of a post on the Office for Students' (OfS) board whose role will be to ensure that freedom of speech and expression is not stifled on university campuses nationwide.
Free Speech Debate after French Teen's Anti-Muslim Post Sparks Death Threats, Arrests

February 10, 2021

French police arrested five people in connection with death threats made against a teenager for her online video messages against Islam, which has sparked a debate over freedom of speech in the country.
Laschet : Navalny Affair Not Grounds to Cancel Nord Stream Pipeline

February 10, 2021

Despite growing pressure from German Greens, the United States and much of Europe, the Christian Democratic Union’s new chief Armin Laschet maintains the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexei Nalvany is not grounds to cancel the Nord Stream Pipeline.
AI Lie Detector Project Challenged in EU Court

February 09, 2021

Natasha Lomes writing for TechCrunch explores the current transparency lawsuit before The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg that highlights questions of ethics and efficacy attached to the European Union’s flagship R&D program which involves an experiemental facial recognition lie detector test.
ECtHR to Consider Nalvany Complaint

February 02, 2021

The European Court of Human Rights announced it has informed Russia that it will consider a complaint filed to the court by the opposition politician Aleksei Navalny who argues that his right to life was violated under the EU Convention on Human Rights.