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.
Ramy and Céline Shaath v. Arab Republic of Egypt
This case was filed before the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights on behalf of Ramy Shaath, an Egyptian-Palestinian national and a prominent human rights defender who was an active participant in the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and his wife, Celine Lebrun-Shaath.
Zhao 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, 2020El Sharkawi v. Arab Republic of Egypt
Mohammed El Sharkawi was detained without trial under Egypt's Emergency Law for nearly 16 years, and tortured in custody. Since his release, there has been no acknowledgement that his detention violated human rights.
Last update: July 22, 2011Sanoma 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