Human Rights

ECJ Finds Limitation in Right to Expel Convicted Criminals

January 08, 2018

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) held in a December decision that EU member states cannot expel a long-term resident who is a national of a country that is not an EU member on the sole basis that the resident has been sentenced to over a year of imprisonment.
CoE Issues Negative Findings on Polish, Ukrainian Reforms

January 08, 2018

In December, the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Commission for Democracy through Law adopted a series of opinions concluding that Polish judicial reforms place "at serious risk" the independence of all Polish courts, that Poland should separate its Public Prosecutor General from its Ministry of Justice, and that Ukraine should ramp up teaching of minority languages.
ECtHR Receives Case on Azerbaijan's Compliance with Judgment

January 08, 2018

News.am reports that the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers has, for the first time, referred to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) a question whether a country has refused to abide by a ECtHR judgment in the case of an imprisoned opposition politician in Azerbaijan.
ECtHR: Countries Must Recognize Gay Marriages Contracted Abroad

January 08, 2018

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that Italy violated the rights of same-sex couples to respect for private and family life by failing "to take account of their social reality" in refusing to recognize marriages they had contracted abroad.
CoE Official Demands Recognition of "Sexual Rights"

January 04, 2018

The Council of Europe's (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks has issued a report demanding that CoE members address "shortcomings" in their recognition of European and international human rights standards on "sexual and reproductive health rights," including access to abortion and "comprehensive sexuality education."
UK Politicians Plan Vote to Retain EU Charter Rights

January 03, 2018

The Guardian reports on plans of the UK Labour Party to force a vote in the British Parliament pressuring the government to retain all provisions of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including employment rights and the "right to equality," in British law after Brexit.
ECtHR Recognizes Right to Wear Skullcap in Court

January 02, 2018

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) recently held that a Bosnian court had violated a Muslim witness's right to manifest his religion by convicting him of contempt of court for refusing to remove his religious skullcap during legal proceedings.
Academic Welcomes "Flexible" ECtHR Approach in Georgia

January 02, 2018

Professor Philip Leach of Middlesex University welcomes a recent holding of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in which it used a "more flexible, contextual approach" than in past cases to find that the Georgian government had violated a politician's right against "misuse of power" by removing him from his cell and improperly threatening him after his arrest.
CoE Official Calls for Gender Strategy in Liechtenstein

December 21, 2017

In his report on Liechtenstein, the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks called on the country's government to adopt a "national gender equality strategy" to ensure the equal treatment of men and women, including by improving access to abortion and considering quotas for women in politics.
Ukraine Opposes CoE Reconciliation with Russia

December 21, 2017

RFERL reports that Ukraine's representation to the Council of Europe (CoE) is opposing reported attempts by the CoE Secretary-General to convince countries to restore to Russia its voting rights in the CoE's Parliamentary Assembly out of fear that, if it can no longer vote, Russia will withdraw from the international body.