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African Court Calls on Nations to Bolster Election Fairness and Transparency During COVID-19
All African Union Member States have a duty under international law to guarantee fairness and transparency in elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Open Society Justice Initiative v. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) et al.
The Justice Initiative seeks the public release by U.S. government agencies of all documents related to the brutal murder in Istanbul of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian dissident writer and editor, and a U.S. permanent resident.
Elections 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.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is Deploying a Massive New Database to Gather Biometric Information
A new U.S. Department of Homeland Security biometric database is projected to contain information on hundreds of millions of people by 2022 and represents an alarming development to scale up the agency's surveillance and information-sharing ability.
How NGOs, Journalists, and Courtroom Eyewitnesses can Strengthen Reporting on Atrocity Crimes Trials
Trial monitors play an important role in keeping the public informed of events in the courtroom. The Justice Initiative’s Monitoring Atrocity Crimes Trials: A Guide, offers clear guidance on what to monitor and how to convey important information.
The Justice Initiative Seeks Release of Documents Revealing Scientific Advice Given to the UK Government on COVID-19
The Justice Initiative has filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the UK Government seeking the disclosure of documents relating to the work of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on COVID-19.
Justice Initiative Files Update to UN Committee ahead of Kyrgyzstan Supreme Court’s Hearing on Askarov Case
The Justice Initiative has filed a submission to the UN Human Rights Committee as part of a follow-up procedure regarding the implementation of the Committee’s 2016 decision Askarov v Kyrgyzstan, regarding the unjust and arbitrary detention of journalist and human rights defender Azimjan Askarov.
COVID-19 Poses a Threat to Justice. We Must Respond.
Read about the Open Society Justice Initiative's global work to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
Human Rights Groups Alert U.N. to Alarming Actions by Mexican Prosecutors
More than 120 human rights groups and individuals are warning the U.N. about alarming trends emerging from Mexico’s new national Prosecutor General’s Office and the State’s Prosecution services.
The Use of EU Law to Protect Civic Space
This briefing paper examines how European Union law can be used to protect the fundamental rights of independent civil society groups, in the face of government encroachment.
African Commission Rules against Cameroon in Radio Station Case
The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has ordered Cameroon to pay compensation for blocking the launch of an independent radio station, in a ruling that reinforces protections for freedom of expression.
Freedom FM v. Cameroon
This case concerns a current-affairs radio station that was denied a broadcasting license in Cameroon.
Open Society Justice Initiative Challenges Hungarian Constitutional Court Ruling on Anti-NGO Laws
The Open Society Justice Initiative is returning to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge Hungarian laws that criminalize and tax the work of independent civil society groups.
Bumbeș 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.
Khashoggi FOIA Case Documents Available Online
The Open Society Justice Initiative has begun to publish online materials released by the U.S. government, in response to a Freedom of Information Act petition seeking the release of records relating to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Case Watch: South Africa’s Constitutional Court Strikes Down Restrictive Protest Law
A carefully reasoned ruling from South Africa’s Constitutional Court will reinforce the existing international jurisprudence supporting the right to peaceful protest.
Democracy and Human Rights Resource Centre and Others v. Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's freezing of the bank accounts of NGOs and human rights activists represents a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Open Society Institute–Budapest v. Hungary
The Open Society Foundations are calling on the European Court of Human Rights to address violations of the rights to freedom of association and expression by the Hungarian government.
Huseynov v. Azerbaijan
Through this application before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Emin Huseynov, an Azerbaijani journalist, sought a ruling that a declaration renouncing his nationality—made under duress—cannot be used by the government to revoke his citizenship.
Caught on Film: What the Law Says About Filming the Police in Europe
The rise of social media and easily shareable video allows members of the public to film interactions with the police. But across Europe, this is now increasingly a contested issue.
