Human Rights

CoE Committee Calls for Public Media Financing

February 20, 2019

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) Committee of Ministers has called on CoE members to “ensure the financial sustainability of quality journalism,” including through such means as government financial support, while also avoiding constraints on the media’s “editorial and operational independence.”
ECtHR: Conviction of Romanian Pastors Violated Rights

February 20, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that Romania had violated the rights to religious freedom of two pastors the country’s courts had convicted of “unlawful exercise of pastoral duties” for conducting religious services without approval from their respective churches.
EU Institutions Agree to Standards for Flexible Labor Contracts

February 14, 2019

EU institutions have agreed to legislation requiring companies across the bloc to provide “more transparent and predictable working conditions” through new minimum standards for labor contracts, especially for those in “flexible employment relations,” as part of the EU’s Pillar of Social Rights.
CoE Report Warns of Eroding Press Freedom in Europe

February 12, 2019

Through its Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, the Council of Europe (CoE) has issued a report warning of the “fragile” state of press freedom in Europe due both to the targeting of journalists for violence and harassment and to efforts by governments to control the media.
ECtHR Finds Sanction Against Lawyer “Excessive”

February 12, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has determined that Portugal violated a lawyer’s right to freedom of expression by imposing what the Court considered to be an excessive fine on the lawyer for questioning the integrity of a judge.
CoE Official Targets Hungary on NGO, Migration Policies

February 12, 2019

Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović has called on the Hungarian government to address its “many interconnected human rights challenges” by, among other things, expanding the space in which NGOs and journalists can work and returning to a “regular asylum procedure” for migrants.
ECtHR Dismisses Challenges to Turkish Military Campaign

February 12, 2019

Voice of America reports that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has dismissed cases brought on behalf of civilians killed in a broad Turkish security operation targeting separatists from the Kurdish PKK organization, finding the claimants had failed to exhaust their domestic remedies in what critics say is a failed judicial system.
ECtHR: Public Statements Violated Former Official’s Trial Rights

February 11, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office and a Bulgarian lawmaker had violated the right of a former official to presumption of innocence by indicating the former official was guilty of embezzling public funds prior to her criminal proceedings.
ECtHR: Belgium Violated Prisoner’s Right to Psychological Treatment

February 11, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that Belgian authorities violated the rights of a man to liberty and against inhuman or degrading treatment by failing to effectively treat his mental-health problems using doctors who spoke his native language of German.
Unions Push for UK Commitment to EU Standards After Brexit

February 06, 2019

The Guardian reports that British trade union leaders are demanding that Prime Minister Theresa May include provisions in her Brexit deal with the EU committing the UK to follow EU standards on worker rights and environmental protection after Britain leaves the bloc.