Human Rights

EU Top Court Rules Hungary’s Asylum Policies Violate EU law

December 21, 2020

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found that Hungary violated EU law after they set harsh asylum policies during the 2015 European refugee crisis when hundreds of thousands of refugees passed their border, crossing from Serbia.
EU Sets New Cybersecurity Plan

December 17, 2020

The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy presented a new Cybersecurity Strategy with the goal strengthening cooperation with partners around the world, and "promote a global, open, stable and secure cyberspace, grounded in the rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratic values."
Former Judge to Lead Human Rights Law Review

December 08, 2020

The BBC reports that former Court of Appeal judge Sir Peter Gross has been appointed to lead an independent review of the Human Rights Act to examine whether the 1998 act that allows UK nationals to rely on the European Convention of Human Rights in domestic courts is working effectively
The Guardian: BPAS Reports "Two-Child Limit" Policy Influencing Abortions

December 07, 2020

According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), the recent and controversial “two-child limit” policy, which restricts the amount that larger families can receive in social security benefits, was a key factor in many women’s decisions to terminate their pregnancy during the pandemic.
New EU Privacy Protects May Endanger Children

November 30, 2020

As new privacy protections are set to take effect in the European Union in December, children’s rights advocates argue that they will put millions of children at increased risk worldwide, as big tech firms will be banned from using automatic detection tools that are routinely employed to identify material containing images of child abuse, or to detect online grooming.
AP: Global Response as Domestic Violence Worsens Amid Covid-19

November 25, 2020

Domestic violence is on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic and activists are promoting global action and holding demonstrations from France to Turkey today as those in power attempt to find ways to protect women killed or abused by partners.
French Bill Makes Intimidation on Religious Grounds a Crime

November 20, 2020

Following the death of french history teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded after an online campaign for showing his students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, French leaders have drafted a law that will make intimidation on religious grounds a crime.
UK's Labour Party Demands Social Media Silences Anti-Vaxxers

November 16, 2020

In a letter to the UK's Digital, Culture and Media Secretary, Olivier Downdon, the Labour Party requested that the Government require social media companies to delete any content containing anti-vaccine language.
EU Governments Expunge Language on Islamism in Joint Statement on Terrorism

November 16, 2020

Home Affairs ministers from European Union (EU) member-states have issued a joint statement on terrorism that diverged markedly from an initial draft that identified Islamist extremism as a terrorist threat and that called for the establishment of a European institute to train imams, with the final version making no mention of Islam and, instead, focusing on the need for integration of refugees and migrants and the promotion of religious education and training consistent with European values.
200 French Lawyers Sign Open Letter to Protest Lockdown

November 11, 2020

In a letter originally published in "Le Journal du Dimanche and re-published in The Spectator, 200 french lawyers express their objection to the French government's new mandatory lockdown of society, highlighting that health is 'a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity'.