Topic: Discrimination and Racial Justice
Case Watch: Roma Ruling Advances Antidiscrimination Protections in the European Union
Legal efforts to protect Europe’s Roma minority from racial discrimination have been given a substantial boost by the European Union's top court.
A Death in Police Custody, an Outpouring of Anger in the Netherlands
The death of 42-year-old Mitch Henriquez at the hands of Dutch police sparked four nights of violent rioting in the Hague, fueled by underlying tensions between the police and minority communities in the Netherlands.
Paris Court Accepts Appeal on French Police Ethnic Profiling Case
The Paris appeals court made a landmark decision in favor of five young men of Arab and African descent who were discriminated by the French police on the basis of racial and ethnic grounds.
Seven Easy Steps to Ethnic Cleansing in the Dominican Republic
In its treatment of its citizens of Haitian descent, the Dominican Republic has presented a virtual recipe for any other country aspiring to an ethnic cleansing exercise done according to proper legal procedure.
How Roma Families are Taking Action against Czech School Discrimination
Facing discrimination in the Czech Republic's education system, Roma families in the city of Ostrava are fighting to secure better schooling for their children, one child at a time.
Case Watch: UK Supreme Court Backs Government Rejection of Statelessness Claim
The UK Supreme Court ruled that stripping British nationality from a naturalized citizen accused of terrorism did not make him stateless, even when his country of birth repudiated the claim.
Case Watch: EU Court’s Legal Adviser Assesses Roma Discrimination Case
The Advocate-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union examined how the EU law ban on discrimination on racial or ethnic grounds affects service provision disadvantaging a whole district.
Case Watch: European Judges Skirt Nationality Question in Latvian Case
A member of Latvia’s pro-Russian community fails to persuade the ECHR that denial of citizenship violates his rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Y, T & A v. Berlin Education Authority
The Justice Initiative supported the development of a case brought by three pupils of migrant background challenging the discriminatory treatment growing out of educational reforms adopted by Berlin.
Case Watch: Inaccessible Electricity Meters for Roma Challenged under EU Law
In some mainly Roma districts in Bulgaria, the electricity company CEZ keeps the electricity meters on tall poles in the street, out of easy reach of householders.
Case Watch: EU Court Ruling Backs Refugees from Anti-Gay Persecution
A welcome recent ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union is likely to make it harder for governments to deny political asylum to applicants facing persecution for their sexual orientation.
Case Watch: UK Supreme Court Struggles with Pham Statelessness Conundrum
Details emerged during a UK Supreme Court hearing of secret British discussions with Vietnam, aimed at securing the deportation of a Vietnamese-born an alleged al-Qaida associate, who had been stripped of UK citizenship.
Case Watch: UK Supreme Court Addresses “B2” Statelessness Challenge
The case of Pham Minh Quang before the UK Supreme Court raises fundamental questions about the obligations of governments under the 1954 convention on eliminating statelessness.
Dominican Republic “Rage Quits” on Human Rights
After being found in breach of its treaty commitments, the Dominican Republic has decided to walk away from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Flawed Ruling in the Dominican Republic Threatens Human Rights Protections
A bid by the constitutional court of the Dominican Republic to repudiate the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights undermines legal protections for all.
Case Watch: European Court Defers to States on Same-Sex Marriage
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a transsexual woman must break her existing marriage in order to receive official recognition of her gender.
Zeshan Muhammad v. Spain
Ethnic profiling by law enforcement officers continues to be a persistent and pervasive practice throughout Spain, particularly in the context of immigration control.
“A Decision that Seems Like an Attack on My Religion”
For one British Muslim woman, the European Court of Human Rights’ decision to uphold France’s ban on full-face veils is deeply painful.
France’s Veil Ban: Getting It Wrong on Living Together
A simple exchange on a London street shows the error of a European court ruling upholding France’s ban on the wearing of full-face veils.
Nikolova v. CEZ Electricity
Bulgarian electricity companies have been locating meters at the tops of high poles in “Roma districts,” preventing residents from reading and checking them; elsewhere they are at head-height and easily accessible.