Human Rights

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.
EU Agency Calls on Governments to Address Climate Change Impacts

February 06, 2019

The European Environment Agency has published a report calling on EU member states to do more to reduce the exposure of their citizens to air and noise pollution and to extreme heat, including by pursuing “climate change adaptation” policies to address the higher frequency of heat waves.
EC Applauds Companies' Response to “Hate Speech”

February 05, 2019

Fortune reports that the European Commission (EC) is applauding the response of internet companies to EU pressure, through a code of conduct backed up by the threat of regulation, to crack down on “illegal hate speech” on their platforms by evaluating increasing levels of “suspect content” within 24 hours of users reporting it.
EU Agency Proposes Broad Ban on Microplastics

February 05, 2019

The Guardian reports that the European Chemicals Agency has proposed EU legislation banning microplastics that manufacturers intentionally add to products - representing about 90 percent of such microplastic pollutants.
ECtHR Orders Russia to Pay Damages to Expelled Georgians

February 05, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ordered Russia to pay a total of approximately $11.5 million to over 1,500 Georgian citizens the ECtHR concluded the Russian government arbitrarily expelled in 2006.
EU Institutions Reach Deal on “Work-Life Balance” Proposal

January 31, 2019

The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached a deal on advancing a proposal for an EU directive on “work-life balance for parents and carers” setting new minimum Europe-wide standards on the amount of time off companies must grant new parents.
ECtHR: UK Storage of Man’s Data Violated Privacy Rights

January 31, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that the UK police’s indefinite retention in a “domestic extremism” database of information about a man who was once associated with a violent group violated the man’s right to privacy, in part due to lack of safeguards in line with Council of Europe recommendations.