Human Rights

Officials Voice Concerns with Ukraine "Decommunisation" Law

December 22, 2015

Officials from the Venice Commission and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ("OSCE") are seeking the revision of a "decommunisation" law in Ukraine that bans Communist and Nazi propaganda to limit the law's scope and address their concerns with the law's effects on freedom of expression and association.
FRA Trains Portuguese Police in Fundamental Rights

December 22, 2015

Spotlighting concerns regarding potential interference of multinational institutions with the ability of law-enforcement officers to effectively protect citizens, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights ("FRA") recently trained Portuguese police officers in nondiscrimination and "mainstreaming fundamental rights" in their work.
Critics: Russian ECtHR Law Violates Constitution

December 21, 2015

Critics of recent legislation empowering the Russian Constitutional Court to determine whether a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") will take effect argue that the law may lead to the country's departure from the 47-member-state Council of Europe and may violate the country's own constitution.
Putin Signs Law Permitting ECtHR Override

December 16, 2015

Following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") against the country's surveillance program, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law permitting the Russian Constitutional Court to determine whether or not to implement ECtHR decisions.
UK Rejects Implementation of ECtHR Prisoner-Voting Judgment

December 16, 2015

The Daily Mail reports that, after the UK Government announced that it will not permit prisoners to vote after a finding from the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") that the British blanket prisoner-voting ban violates human rights, the Council of Europe delayed discussion on the issue until the end of 2016.
Northern Ireland Judge Finds Abortion Rights in ECHR

December 16, 2015

Despite a contrary precedent from the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Mark Horner of the Northern Ireland High Court has ruled that provisions protecting privacy and family life in the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR") requires exceptions in abortion restrictions for children unlikely to survive at birth and those conceived through a sexual crime.
FRA Develops Rights Training for EU Border Patrol

December 16, 2015

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has announced that it recently organized a meeting with the European Asylum Support Office to develop a "training module" for EU asylum officers and border guards on "fundamental rights and international protection."
Russian Proposal Offers "Override" of ECtHR

December 15, 2015

Following a European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") finding that Russian surveillance activities violated an applicant's right to respect for private life, Russian lawmakers have advanced a proposal that offers the country's government the option to override decisions of the ECtHR.
ECtHR Finds Rights Violations in Russian Surveillance

December 14, 2015

The European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") has decided that the system of secret interception of mobile-telephone communications in Russia violated a Russian national's right to respect for his private life and correspondence and that he did not have any effective remedy in that respect.
UK Considers Including Judicial Review in HRA Reform

December 07, 2015

The UK Government has announced that it is delaying plans to replace its Human Rights Act ("HRA") with a British Bill of Rights, and thus to weaken the link between British courts and the European Court of Human Rights, as it considers replacing review by the Strasbourg court with constitutional review by a domestic supreme or constitutional court.