Human Rights

Tebbit: ECHR Encourages Judicial Activism in UK

August 10, 2015

Former UK Cabinet Member Norman Tebbit writes that the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR") and the related Human Rights Act ("HRA") in Britain have encouraged judges to "rewrite" UK law to accord with their vision of fairness, from revising terms in wills to inventing rights under the HRA for terror suspects.
EU Parliament Agrees to Proposal on Passenger Data Storage

July 29, 2015

The Independent reports that the European Parliament has agreed to a proposal requiring that airlines store passenger data on flights arriving from and departing to locations outside the EU for five years in order to permit the data to remain searchable by European authorities.
Council Integrates Global Human Rights Agenda in EU Policy

July 22, 2015

Through its new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for the period 2015-2019, the European Council seeks to "mainstream" the international human rights agenda in EU policy and promotes cooperation with national human rights institutions ("NHRIs") in order to achieve this goal.
ECtHR: Refusal to Recognize Gay Civil Unions Violates Rights

July 21, 2015

An article in The Economist observes that the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") has followed in the footsteps of the US Supreme Court, which recently declared a constitutional right to gay marriage, in finding that Italy violated the rights of gay couples by failing to legally recognize same-sex civil unions.
CoE Calls for Binding Whistle-blower Protection Treaty

July 07, 2015

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ("CoE") has called on the US to permit Edward Snowden, who leaked classified government surveillance information in 2013, to raise a "public interest" defense if prosecuted, and called for a binding multilateral treaty for whistle-blowers at national intelligence services.
Muspratt: Magna Carta, not ECtHR, Is Foundation of UK Rights

July 01, 2015

Chris Muspratt writes that the UK, which has a long tradition of freedom under the law in Magna Carta, should repeal its Human Rights Act, thus giving the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") only an advisory role and leaving national courts as the final authority on judicial decision-making.
UK Court: ECHR Requires Removal of Suspect's Tracking Device

July 01, 2015

The Guardian reports that the UK High Court has held the Government must remove a tracking device from a suspected supporter of terrorism under the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR") due to the man's delusional fear that the device contained a bomb.
OSCE Expresses Concern at ECtHR Internet Ruling

June 24, 2015

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic has warned countries not to use a recent European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") ruling, permitting a news website to be held liable for the posting of third-party comments, as a license "to introduce imprecise and vague liability regulations which may limit the right of freedom of expression."
ECtHR: News Websites Liable for Third-Party Content

June 17, 2015

In response to a complaint against Estonia for prosecuting a news website for "hate speech" posted by third parties on the site, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR") has found that such websites can be held criminally liable for unlawful speech posted by third parties.
Ukraine Derogates from ECHR in Conflict Areas

June 17, 2015

The Council of Europe has responded to a notification from the Government of Ukraine that the country will not recognize the application of the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR") in current conflict zones by announcing that the Council's standards continue to apply in the country.