Human Rights

New Sanctions Program to Address Human Rights Violations Proposed for EU

October 28, 2020

The European Commission and the EU's Foreign Policy High Representative have put forward a proposal for a new, non-country-based sanctions program to address human rights violations and abuses with asset freezes and travel bans which must be approved by all 27 Member States within the EU Council before it becomes law.
ECJ Rules against Government Collection of Citizen Mobile and Internet Data

October 09, 2020

The European Court of Justice ("ECJ") has ruled that, except in cases of national security, member states must not collect mass mobile and internet data of their citizens.
EU Nations Battle Over the Istanbul Convention

October 09, 2020

European Union institutions and member states spent Tuesday arguing in court over the legality of the Istanbul Convention, a 2014 treaty that requires States Parties to prevent and punish “all acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women.” with thirteen of the Council’s 47 member states, including Hungary and the UK, refusing to sign the convention over concerns the treaty threatens traditional family values and oversteps EU law.
European Court Imposes Duty on State to Prevent Potential Harm from Specific Credible Threat of Gun Violence

October 05, 2020

In a major case involving state responsibility for foreseeing and preventing gun violence, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that, in failing to properly investigate a known possible occurrence of school-based gun violence, Finland violated its duty under the European Convention on Human Rights to protect the right to life of potential victims.
Von der Leyen Seeks Universal Migration Plan for EU

September 23, 2020

After finding consensus for a Covid 19 recovery plan, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen seeks to create a common migration policy for all of Europe that she hopes will bring "together all aspects of migration, border management and screening, asylum and integration, and return and relations with international partners."
EU Plans to Take on Human Rights Abusers

September 21, 2020

Amid a global assault on human rights stretching from Belarus to Hong Kong to Yemen, Europe's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, announced in her first-ever State of the Union speech that she will bring forth a European Magnitsky Act, a sanctions framework modeled after a U.S. law that restricts malign actors' access to travel and the global financial system.
ECtHR President Urges Turkey to Respect Rule of Law

September 10, 2020

During a visit to Turkey, which has engaged in the controversial suppression and imprisonment of some judges, academics, and opposition party members, European Court of Human Rights President Robert Spano stressed the importance of respecting the rule of law and judicial independence.
Victory for Google in German Court Over Right to Be Forgotten

July 29, 2020

In the first ruling since the EU's general data protection regulation came into effect in 2018, giving EU citizens the right to demand deletion of personal data, Germany's highest court agreed with lower courts that placed greater weight on the public's right to know than on the right of the two plaintiffs to wipe entries from search results over privacy concerns.
Poland to Withdraw from the Istanbul Convention Due to Controversial Ideologies About Gender.

July 27, 2020

Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has announced that Poland will begin withdrawing from the European Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the "Istanbul Convention"), on the grounds that it contains "elements of an ideological nature," which the Government "considers harmful."
TechCrunch: Europe’s Top Court Strikes Down Flagship EU-US Data Transfer Mechanism

July 17, 2020

The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has struck down a flagship EU-US data flows arrangement called Privacy Shield citing that “the requirements of US national security, public interest and law enforcement have primacy, thus condoning interference with the fundamental rights of persons whose data are transferred to that third country”.