Oct 4, 2012
The ICJ and nine other NGOs presented comments on proposed protocols to the European Convention on Human Rights, amending the procedure and criteria for applying to the Court, and allowing for advisory opinions.
Amnesty International, the AIRE Centre, the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC), the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), Human Rights Watch, Interights, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), JUSTICE, Open Society Justice Initiative and REDRESS take note of the ongoing discussion over the drafting of Protocols 15 and 16 (P15 and P16) to the European Convention on Human Rights and wish to provide the following comments.
EuropeanCourt-JointSubmission-Advocacy-2012 (download the joint submission)
Oct 3, 2012 | News
The Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, voted on 2 October 2012 in favor of a bill that would ban “homosexual propaganda”. The ICJ and ILGA-Europe have condemned the draft law and called on Ukrainian authorities not to adopt it. Two hundred and eighty-nine out of 450 members of parliament supported the bill, which is now expected to move for a second round of reading in parliament later this month.
The organisations are deeply concerned about the impact of Draft Law no. 8711 on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ukraine as well as the rights of everyone to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association. ICJ and ILGA-Europe urge the Ukrainian parliament to withdraw the bill from its agenda and call on the Chair of the Parliament and the President, who would both need to sign the bill in order for it to become law, to speak out against it.
The bill would modify several existing laws in Ukraine, including criminal law, and introduce sanctions for the import, production and distribution of products that would “promote” homosexuality. “Promotion of homosexuality” is itself undefined. “If voted into law, it would lead to the further marginalisation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in the country and would limit the work of human rights defenders,” Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe said.
ILGA-Europe and the ICJ believe that Draft Law no. 8711 is incompatible with international human rights law. First it is so vague that it fails to conform to the requirement that restrictions must be provided for by law. Under the draft law, it is impossible for an individual to determine what kind of expression is banned. Second, the asserted reasons for the “homosexual propaganda” ban fail the tests of proportionality and necessity. In other words, the restriction serves no permissible purpose. Third and finally, the homosexual propaganda ban discriminates against LGBT people by prohibiting public discourse on issues that matter to LGBT lives. “Restrictions on rights may not be discriminatory, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is clearly prohibited under international law,” said Alli Jernow, Senior Legal Adviser of the International Commission of Jurists.
The EU should raise these developments in the context of the monitoring of the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan. Parliamentary discussion of this law clearly demonstrates that progress is stalled. If the bill passes a second reading, further negotiations with Ukraine should be delayed or ultimately suspended. We also call on the Council of Europe to unequivocally denounce Draft Law no. 8711 in representations to the Ukrainian government.
The law is expected to be discussed at a second hearing in the coming weeks. After that the Chair of the Parliament and the President would need to sign the bill before it would become official law.
ICJ and ILGA-Europe earlier this year issued a joint briefing paper on “homosexual propaganda bans” that have been enacted or proposed in Europe and other Eastern European countries.
Photo credit: Insight NGO
Oct 1, 2012 | Адвокаси, Юридические заявления
Николай Алексеев был осужден под новым запретом гомосексуальной пропаганды, и в настоящее время оспаривает конституционность закона. МКЮ подала справку Amicus.
Активист был арестован и оштрафован за одиночный пикет с плакатом, который цитировал Советскую актрису: «Гомосексуализм – не извращение. Извращение – это хоккей на траве и балет на льду».
Анализ МКЮ заявляет, что Санкт-Петербургский закон нарушает право на свободу выражения, гарантированное как МПГПП, так и Европейской конвенции о правах человека. Запрет на гомосексуальную пропаганду не только нечеткий, но не является небходимым для достижения законной цели и не соразмерен ей, и устанавливает дискриминацию на основании сексуальной ориентации.
Дело в настоящее время находится на рассмотрении. Слушание, назначенное на 27 сентября 2012 года, было отложено из-за отказа одного из судей.
Для получения дополнительной информации о запретах гомосексуальной пропаганды, см. Брифинг ILGA-Eвропа МКЮ.
Russia-homosexual propaganda ban challenged-ICJ Amicus Brief-2012-ru (полный текст, PDF)
Oct 1, 2012
Nikolai Alekseyev was convicted under the new homosexual propaganda ban and he is currently challenging the constitutionality of the law. The ICJ filed an amicus brief.
The activist was arrested and fined for holding up a sign quoting a famous Soviet era actress, who said: “Homosexuality is not a perversion. Field hockey and ice ballet are.”
The ICJ brief argues that the St. Petersburg law violates the right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by both the ICCPR and the European Convention on Human Rights. The homosexual propaganda bans are not only vague, they also fail the tests of proportionality and necessity and discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, all contrary to human rights law.
The case is currently pending. A hearing scheduled for 27 September 2012 was postponed due to the recusal of one of the judges.
For more information on the homosexual propaganda bans, see the ILGA-Europe ICJ briefing paper.
Russia-homosexual propaganda ban challenged-ICJ Amicus Brief-2012 (full text in PDF)
Russia-homosexual propaganda ban challenged-ICJ Amicus Brief-2012-ru (full text in PDF)
Sep 30, 2012
In seguito ai seminari tenuti a Milano e Roma lo scorso settembre, l’ICJ ha pubblicato il 7 dicembre 2012 una raccolta di giurisprudenza e normativa internazionale relativa ai diritti dei migranti e richiedenti asilo.
Questa opera è una raccolta di giurisprudenza internazionale, correlata dalle relative norme del diritto pattizio, e dedicata a specifici temi del diritto internazionale dei diritti umani sull’immigrazione ed il diritto di asilo. Essa permette all’operatore del diritto di accedere direttamente, direttamente in italiano, alle fonti del diritto internazionale, alle sentenze chiave dei meccanismi di protezione internazionale dei diritti umani ed alle norme relative. La traduzione è ufficiosa e si rimanda al testo originale per ogni citazione ufficiale.
Lo scopo di questo lavoro è di servire da strumento pratico per l’operatore del diritto nel lavoro di tutti i giorni. La raccolta è anche uno strumento indispensabile in seminari di formazione ed aiuta a restare al passo con la giurisprudenza internazionale in costante evoluzione. Tale collezione raccoglie argomenti mirati, relativi ai diritti dei migranti, e verrà aggiornata, e gli argomenti espansi, attraverso il tempo.
Infine, occorre ricordare che il presente compendio é un complemento della guida per operatori del diritto dell’ICJ numero 6 intitolata L’immigrazione e la normativa internazionale dei diritti umani, disponibile gratuitamente sul nostro sito.
Casescollection-training-migration-ita-2012 (scarica la raccolta cliccando sul link)
Photo credit: © Commissione Europea (la Commissione Europea non ha nessun coinvolgimento in, né sostiene questa pubblicazione)
