Litigation
Justice Initiative lawyers have represented scores of individuals and groups before domestic and international human rights courts and tribunals around the world. These cases seek not only to vindicate individual claims, but to establish and strengthen the law’s protection for all.
Wa Baile v. Switzerland
Mohamed Wa Baile claimed to have been subjected to ethnic profiling in 2015, when he was stopped by police officers in a train station in Zurich and told to identify himself. In 2018, Wa Baile complained to the European Court of Human Rights,which found in his favor in February, 2024.
Last update: February 20, 2024Zhao v. Netherlands
In the UN Human Rights Committee's first ever decision on the right of children to acquire nationality, it determined that by registering a child as “nationality unknown”, Dutch authorities violated his right to international protection and to seek a nationality.
Last update: December 29, 2020TRIAL v. Argor-Heraeus S.A.
This complaint sought to initiate an official investigation by Swiss federal prosecutors into allegations that a Swiss gold refinery processed several tons of goal pillaged from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Last update: June 19, 2017Ouardiri v. Switzerland
This case is about a Swiss ban on the construction of minarets that clearly discriminates against Muslims.
Last update: October 22, 2010Sanoma Uitgevers v. the Netherlands
When an editor refused to hand over photos taken by a journalist, Dutch police tried to close the magazine down. The Open Society Justice Initiative argued that the police had violated freedom of expression.
Last update: September 14, 2010Dutch Caribbean Consultative Body v. Data Protection Authority
This case challenges the Dutch government’s attempt to create a database of all youths of Antillean descent.
Last update: March 11, 2009