Human Rights

Facebook Pledges Opening of Political Ads to External Analysis

February 22, 2019

Facebook has responded to pressure from campaign groups by promising to open its online platform to external analysis of the ways in which it allows users to target political advertising in the EU.
CoE Committee Calls for Public Media Financing

February 20, 2019

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) Committee of Ministers has called on CoE members to “ensure the financial sustainability of quality journalism,” including through such means as government financial support, while also avoiding constraints on the media’s “editorial and operational independence.”
ECtHR: Conviction of Romanian Pastors Violated Rights

February 20, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that Romania had violated the rights to religious freedom of two pastors the country’s courts had convicted of “unlawful exercise of pastoral duties” for conducting religious services without approval from their respective churches.
EU Institutions Agree to Standards for Flexible Labor Contracts

February 14, 2019

EU institutions have agreed to legislation requiring companies across the bloc to provide “more transparent and predictable working conditions” through new minimum standards for labor contracts, especially for those in “flexible employment relations,” as part of the EU’s Pillar of Social Rights.
Spanish, EU Banks Partner on Credit Lines for Green Projects

February 13, 2019

Spanish financial services company CaixaBank has partnered with the European Investment Bank to extend credit lines totaling up to €30 million for projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the UN’s Paris climate agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.
CoE Report Warns of Eroding Press Freedom in Europe

February 12, 2019

Through its Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, the Council of Europe (CoE) has issued a report warning of the “fragile” state of press freedom in Europe due both to the targeting of journalists for violence and harassment and to efforts by governments to control the media.
ECtHR Finds Sanction Against Lawyer “Excessive”

February 12, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has determined that Portugal violated a lawyer’s right to freedom of expression by imposing what the Court considered to be an excessive fine on the lawyer for questioning the integrity of a judge.
CoE Official Targets Hungary on NGO, Migration Policies

February 12, 2019

Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović has called on the Hungarian government to address its “many interconnected human rights challenges” by, among other things, expanding the space in which NGOs and journalists can work and returning to a “regular asylum procedure” for migrants.
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.