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, 2024Vidberg v. France
Prosecutors’ refusals to open criminal proceedings constitute obstacles to access to justice for victims. The Justice Initiative submitted an amicus brief in this case emphasizing the importance of prosecutorial accountability to guarantee the rule of law.
Open Society Justice Initiative v. Telekom Austria
The Justice Initiative has filed a complaint against Telekom Austria, the parent company of A1 Belarus, which sporadically shut off access to their mobile internet networks in Belarus in the aftermath of the country’s disputed 2020 presidential elections.
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.
Hanan v. Germany
In 2016, Abdul Hanan, the father of the two boys killed in a German airstrike in Afghanistan, filed a complaint before the European Court for Human Rights alleging that Germany had not conducted an effective investigation into the attack.
Laura Codruța Kövesi v. Romania
After being dismissed from her position as chief prosecutor of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruța Kövesi lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. The court ruled that the conditions of her removal had violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
Sentsov and Kolchenko v. Russia
The imposition of Russian nationality on Ukrainian citizens in Crimea resulted in the violation of the applicants' fair trial rights.
Last update: November 20, 2019Bumbeș v. Romania
Together with Greenpeace Romania, the Justice Initiative argued that activist Mihail-Liviu Bumbeș should not have been required to give three days' notice when he and three others chained themselves to the gate of a Romanian government building.
Last update: July 18, 2019