Human Rights

ECtHR: De Facto Life Sentence Violated Prisoner's Rights

April 28, 2016

The European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") has held that the Netherlands violated a convicted killer's right against "inhuman or degrading treatment" because, even though he secured reviews of his continued confinement during his life sentence, he was denied treatment of his mental health problems, thus making release effectively impossible.
Cohen: Court's Breivik Decision Dilutes Human Rights

April 26, 2016

Nick Cohen writes in The Guardian that a court's holding that Norwegian authorities had violated the European Convention on Human Rights by denying mass killer Anders Breivik sufficient access to other people during his confinement must serve as a reminder that judges' definition of the extent of "human rights" should pay proper respect to democratic decision-making.
Norwegian Court Finds ECHR Violation in Mass Killer's Confinement

April 25, 2016

A Norwegian district court has held that national authorities violated the European Convention on Human Rights' ("ECHR") prohibition against "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" for the conditions of mass killer Anders Breivik's solitary confinement in prison and, as a result, has ordered the state to pay Breivik's legal fees.
Russian Court's Rejection of ECtHR Ruling Seeks "Compromise"

April 20, 2016

The Russian Constitutional Court has held that, although it would be impossible to fully enforce a European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") decision finding that a blanket ban in Russia on prisoner voting violates human rights, the Court would be open to a "compromise" with the ECtHR on granting votes to prisoners who have committed minor crimes.
EU Data Official Lauds "Digital Rights" Resolution

April 20, 2016

European Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli has praised the European Parliament for its adoption of the "landmark" General Data Protection Regulation, which provides centralized rules for the rights of citizens in the EU to data privacy and the obligations of the private sector to respect "digital rights."
CoE Committee on Torture Seeks Limits to Life Sentences

April 20, 2016

The Council of Europe's ("CoE") Committee for the Prevention of Torture has characterized criminal sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of release as "inhuman" and has called for laws that require governments to review on a "case-by-case basis" whether these prisoners can return to society.
ECtHR: Strict Detainment Measures Violated Convention

April 19, 2016

A judgment from the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") has found that Poland's detainment of a convicted murderer under a "dangerous detainee regime" that required constant monitoring of his cell and strip searches upon his entry and exit violated the European Convention on Human Rights' prohibition of "torture" and "degrading treatment."
FRA Lists Human Rights Criteria for "Safe Countries" List

April 13, 2016

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights ("FRA") has published a list of rights that the EU and its member states must consider, including the right to an "effective remedy" and the right to "non-discrimination," in creating a list of "safe countries" to which they can return asylum seekers.
ECtHR Finds Hungarian Investigation of Racist Insults Insufficient

April 12, 2016

The European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") has held that the Hungarian government violated a woman's right to private and family life by failing to adequately consider certain factors when deciding whether to pursue criminal charges against members of a right-wing organization who engaged in "racially motivated abuse" by insulting and threatening her.
CoE Produces Internet Governance Strategy

April 06, 2016

The Council of Europe ("CoE") Committee of Ministers has adopted an "Internet Governance Strategy for 2016-2019," which pressures countries to protect human rights and the rule of law online in part by addressing concerns on mass surveillance and providing for the development of standards for internet "intermediaries" on freedom of expression.