Topic: Discrimination and Racial Justice
EC 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.
Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee: Review of the Dominican Republic
This submission tendered by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Center for Justice and International Law concludes that measures taken by the Dominican Republic since its last periodic review in 2001 have actually operated to increase,...
Slow Progress for Gay Rights at the United Nations, Part 2
I previously expressed dismay and pessimism about the "progress" on LGBT rights at the United Nations. Unfortunately my fears were well-founded and the Human Rights Council debate on March 7 on the topic was a circus.
Litany of Failure: Pressure Mounts for Education Reform in Czech Republic
Two fresh studies have again criticized the Czech Republic's failure to stop channeling Romani children into dead-end "practical" schools—which leaves them under-educated and unqualified for a job—at a rate which dwarfs their non-Romani classmates.
German Headscarves Ban
In 2006, several regional governments in Germany adopted laws supposedly to maintain neutrality and peace in the school, but which amount to discrimination against Muslim teachers on grounds of religion.
Case Watch: European Ruling Affirms the Rights of Migrants at Sea
By requiring states to guarantee human rights beyond their state´s territorial boundaries, Europe´s human rights court has upheld the primacy of fundamental rights and the rule of law.
Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Italy
The Open Society Justice Initiative and the Associazione Studi Giuridici sull'Immigrazione ("ASGI") tendered this submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in preparation for its periodic review of Italy on March 5, 2012.
Timeline: Italian Migrant Policy
Some 40,000 migrants arrived in Italy last year as political turmoil swept North Africa. This timeline summarizes principle Italian policy initiatives on migration from 2008 to February, 2012
Italy’s Migrant Interception Faces European Court Scrutiny
The European Court of Human Rights will rule on Thursday on the case of Somali and Eritrean migrants who were sent back to Libya in 2009 after being intercepted in the Mediterranean by Italian Customs and Coastguard vessels.
Slow Progress for Gay Rights at the United Nations
LGBTI people continue to be murdered, raped, and harassed—sometimes by the government that is supposed to protect them—while the UN is unable to unanimously decide whether these crimes actually violate human rights at all.
Northern Europe’s Complicity in Greece’s Migrant Crisis
The member states of the European Union needs to respond to the inhumane conditions facing migrants in Greece by taking responsibility for people, rather than just shifting money around.
Case Watch: Greek Migrant Male Rape Counts as Torture
The European Court of Human Rights has concluded that the Greek courts failed to acknowlege the gravity of a brutal 2001 sexual assault on an undocumented migrant.
Israel’s Supreme Court Condones Discriminatory Citizenship Law
In a setback for equal rights, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a series of petitions challenging a law that, among other things, makes it impossible for Palestinians to acquire Israeli citizenship through marriage.
Adalah v. Israel
This case is about discrimination in Israel, where citizens who marry individuals from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are blocked from bringing their spouses into the country.
Iseni 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.
Riots in England: Inquiry Falls Short on Police Ethnic Profiling
A UK inquiry has identified police “stop and search” tactics as a factor that contributed to this summer's rioting. But it failed to offer strong recommendations on how to fix the problem.
Julek's Story: Still Waiting for an End to Czech Roma Segregation
Julek was one of 18 children who took the Czech government to the European Court of Human Rights in 1999, challenging the practice of placing disproportionate numbers of Romani children into segregated schools. Twelve years and a landmark legal...
Testimony: Anti-Roma Discrimination and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
The Open Society Justice Initiative addressed the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee of the European Parliament regarding Roma issues and the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Four Years after Court Ruling, Romani Children Still Face Czech Segregation
The Open Society Justice Initiative and the European Roma Rights Centre have called on the European Council to ramp up pressure to end segregation of Romani children in Czech schools.
D.H. and others v. Czech Republic: Joint Submission to Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe
A joint report from the Open Society Justice Initiative and the European Roma Rights Centre details the Czech Republic’s failure to end illegal segregation of Romani children in “practical” schools.
