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.
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, 2020Dabetić v. Italy
The Justice Initiative has filed an application before the European Court of Human Rights regarding Italy’s failure to remediate an individual's prolonged status of statelessness in a timely manner, which resulted in harms including inability to work, threat of deportation, and denial of protection from the state.
Last update: June 19, 2017Salkanovic v. Ministry of Interior (Italy)
The Justice Initiative with Italian NGOs filed a petition on behalf of Salkanovic against the government, seeking a declaration that the Roma census violated Italian and EU antidiscrimination and data protection law.
Last update: April 23, 2013EC v. Italy
Roma in Italy are facing a wave of hostility, as fears of immigration from other EU countries are exacerbated by government-controlled media, and used to justify racist policies.
Last update: March 15, 2012Iseni v. Italian Ministry of the Interior
Roberto Iseni is in danger of criminal sanctions and expulsion because he failed to apply for a passport within a 12-month window following his 18th birthday, as dictated by Italian law.
Last update: December 20, 2011Omerovic and Others v. Italy
In 2008 Italy introduced emergency legislation that applied only to Roma. The Omerovic family brought a legal action with nine other claimants to challenge this discriminatory treatment.
Last update: September 17, 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, 2010Centro Europa 7 s.r.l. v. Italy
The television broadcaster Centro Europa 7 took a case to the European Court of Human Rights to argue that media pluralism requires an end to the Berlusconi duopoly in Italy.
Last update: March 10, 2010