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.
Hospital Attacks in Syria
Russia’s air force deliberately attacked Kafr Nabl hospital in Syria in 2019. A legal filing, brought on behalf of victims and survivors, seeks a ruling from the UN Human Rights Committee on the attack—part of a wider pattern of attacks against health care facilities in Syria by Russian forces.
Last update: May 02, 2024Achbita v. Belgium
This complaint filed against Belgium with the UN Human Rights Committee, pertaining to a receptionist who was dismissed for intending to wear a headscarf in the workplace, argues that religious dress restrictions are discriminatory against Muslim women.
Open Society European Policy Institute v. Bulgaria
The Open Society Foundations' collective complaint alleges that the Bulgarian government violated the European Social Charter for failing to prioritize persons over 65 years old and individuals with underlying conditions in its domestic COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
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, 2020Elections in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) has submitted a request seeking guidance from the African Court on Human and People’s Rights for states and regional institutions on how to hold elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vagrancy laws of state parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The Pan-African Lawyers Union has requested an opinion from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights on whether vagrancy laws contravene the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Children’s Charter, and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of women.
Askarov v. Kyrgyzstan
Human rights defender Azimjan Askarov was detained and tortured by police in Kyrgyzstan after documenting human rights violations committed during inter-ethnic conflict in 2010. Askarov was given a life sentence after being denied a fair trial and died in July 2020.
Last update: October 01, 2019Akmatov v. Kyrgyzstan
Turdubek Akmatov was taken to the local police station in Kyrgyzstan and severely beaten during ten hours in custody. He died a few hours after being released without charge.
Last update: October 01, 2019