Human Rights Watch has reported that the Budapest Metropolitan Court decided on February 1 “to allow an extended route for a gay pride march” planned by the Rainbow Mission Foundation for June 18, 2011. The extended route will bring the 2011 Budapest Gay Pride March past the Hungarian parliament building. The Budapest police had denied the extension earlier this month.
Read moreAuthor: IJRC
IACHR Takes Dominican Republic to the Inter-American Court in Guayabín Massacre Case
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced last week that it has filed an application with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Nadege Dorzema et al. v. Dominican Republic (Case No. 12.688). The case centers around the June 17, 2000 deaths and detention of a group of Haitians and one Dominican citizen at the hands of
Read moreMiddle East Protests Draw Focus to Freedom of Expression and Political Rights
In the ongoing wake of pro-democracy demonstrations that has swept through Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Yemen, Iran, Bahrain and Jordan, and which have affected other countries in the region – including Syria and Kuwait – the United Nations and human rights organizations are focusing on freedom of expression, political rights, and the role of democracy in the
Read moreRecent ECHR Decisions Highlight Continued Problem of Impunity
Situations of impunity arise when a State fails to adequately investigate and prosecute serious crimes affecting individuals’ human rights. In many countries in the world, a lack of sufficient resources or training, attacks against law enforcement and the judiciary, discriminatory attitudes and/or official corruption contribute to high levels of impunity – such as in Guatemala, where an estimated 98% of
Read moreBelarus Urged to Release Journalists and Politicians as First Protester Sentenced to 4 Years
Political protester Vasily Parenkov has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for breaking a window in the Belarus parliament building in the mass protests following the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko in December. [AFP; The Economist] Critics say that such vandalism crimes should carry a much lighter sentence. Over 40 other opposition leaders and activists have also been charged in
Read moreECHR Judgment: Aydin v. Germany
In Aydin v. Germany, the ECHR held that there was no violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights when a Turkish national was convicted for supporting the Workers’ Party of Kurdistan (PKK), which is banned in Germany, and ordered to pay a fine of 1,200 Euros. Aydin v. Germany, App. No. 16637/07 (Jan.
Read moreLoss of Indigenous Rights, Peace Activist Samuel Ruiz García Is Mourned
The death on January 24 of Mexican peace and human rights activist, Bishop Samuel Ruiz García at age 86 leads many to reflect on his work in support of the rights of the poor and indigenous communities in Mexico, and as a mediator between the Mexican government and Zapatistas. Bishop Ruiz founded prominent non-governmental organizations Servicios y Asesoría para la
Read moreVietnamese Activist Vi Duc Hoi Sentenced to 8 Years for Online Pro-Democracy Articles
Vietnamese political activist Vi Duc Hoi has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and five years’ house arrest on charges of spreading anti-government propaganda for publishing online articles advocating democratic governance. [AI] Article 88 of the Vietnamese penal code calls for imprisonment of between three and twenty years for various forms of anti-government propaganda, including “[m]aking, storing and/or circulating documents and/or
Read moreUK Reviews Anti-Terrorism Measures; Recommends Less Restrictive Version of Control Orders
The United Kingdom’s Home Office has published its Review of Counter-Terrorism and Security Powers: Review Findings and Recommendations, an analysis of British counter-terrorism measures – including pre-charge detention, control orders, deportation of foreign nations, stop and search, and surveillance – in light of the country’s Human Rights Act and obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. [UK Human Rights
Read moreFormer Guantánamo Detainee Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in New York
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first Guantánamo detainee to be tried in U.S. civilian court and who was convicted late last year on one of over 280 charges related to the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
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