Human Rights

ECtHR Calls for Review of Life Sentences in Ukraine

March 12, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has called on the Ukrainian government to review every case in which the country’s courts have sentenced convicted criminals to life imprisonment to determine whether the detention is justified and inform prisoners the conditions under which they may be granted release.
ECtHR: Icelandic Leaders Violated Rights with Judicial Appointments

March 12, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that the appointment by the Icelandic Prime Minister and Parliament of four judges of the country’s High Court against the advice of an evaluation committee was a “flagrant breach of the applicable rules” and violated the rights of an applicant whose case was pending before that Court.
UK Official Raises ECHR as Obstacle to Brexit “Backstop”

March 08, 2019

The Guardian reports that, in recent talks with EU negotiators, UK Attorney General Geoffrey Cox argued that the Irish border “backstop” contingency measure in the UK-EU withdrawal deal could violate the rights, under the European Convention on Human Rights, of the Northern Irish people to democratic representation in EU institutions.
UK Offers Vote on Alignment with EU Labor Standards

March 07, 2019

The BBC reports that the UK government has indicated it will give the country’s Parliament the opportunity to vote on legislation that would keep Britain tied to EU labor standards after Brexit.
UK Court: “Right to Rent” Law Violates ECHR

March 07, 2019

The UK High Court has declared that a UK law requiring landlords to confirm the lawfulness of prospective tenants’ presence in Britain is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, and national origin.
ECtHR: French Failure to Provide Care Violated Migrant Child’s Rights

March 06, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that the failure of French authorities to care for a 12-year-old Afghan national who lived unlawfully in a migrant camp in Calais for six months amounted to “inhuman or degrading treatment” in violation of European human rights law.
ECtHR: UK Counter-terror Legislation Violated Rights

March 06, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that UK counter-terrorism legislation - amended in 2014 - giving authorities the power to stop and question passengers arriving at ports of entry without any suspicion of involvement in terrorism had not been sufficiently circumscribed and did not contain enough legal safeguards against its abuse.
EU Body Calls for Bloc-wide Minimum Income

March 05, 2019

In February, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted an opinion calling on the European Commission to establish a “binding EU framework” mandating a “decent minimum income for all EU citizens,” with adjustments based on the standard of living in each country.
CoE Official Calls for French Review of Treatment of “Yellow Vests”

March 04, 2019

Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović has called on French authorities to review their police procedures in responding to the “yellow vest” protesters to ensure they comply with obligations to respect human rights during protests and refrain from restricting the freedom of peaceful assembly.
AU Opposes EU Plan for Extraterritorial Migrant Processing

March 01, 2019

The Guardian reports that a leaked paper from the African Union (AU) shows the multilateral organization is seeking to dissuade coastal African countries from participating in an EU plan to establish migrant processing centers in their territories, finding such a scheme would violate the international human rights agenda.