Tag Archives: human rights

For God’s Sake: European Court of Human Rights Endorses Blasphemy Law

| Beitrag von Alba Hernandez Weiss

The 25th of October the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a blow to those who fervently defend the importance of freedom of speech without fear of repercussions. In the Ruling of E.S v Austria the ECtHR upheld Austria’s conviction of a woman for disparaging religious doctrine in a way that “aroused justified indignation”, which is a criminal offence under Article 188 Austrian Criminal Code. Weiterlesen…

Germany’s Abortion Policy: A Product of Domestic Concerns, not of International Human Rights

| Beitrag von Gabriel Armas-Cardona

My final project before leaving Armenia was to research and write a report on Armenia’s human rights obligations vis-à-vis abortion. Sex-selective abortion is a notable problem in Armenia and as a “solution”, the government amended the relevant laws to restrict access to abortion generally.

When I moved to Germany, I was surprised to learn how restrictive the abortion law is. Below is a simplified version of the analysis that I did in the report for Armenia: I review Germany’s laws for compliance with Germany’s international human rights obligations. Naturally, this blog post won’t be as thorough as a report, and I encourage future blog posts to dive into the details that I will gloss over.  Weiterlesen…

Sind Juden weiß? Wie Antidiskriminierungsrecht am Antisemitismus scheitert

| Beitrag von Doris Liebscher

Das umstrittene Urteil des Landgerichts Frankfurt zum Flugverbot für israelische Staatsbürger bei Kuwait Airways ist auch in antidiskriminierungsrechtlicher Hinsicht interessant. Es zeigt, wie schwer es Gerichten fällt Antisemitismus unter die Kategorien des Antidiskriminierungsrechts zu subsumieren und ihn in seinen aktuellen Ausformungen zu erfassen. Nicht nur in Deutschland. Weiterlesen…

Jenseits der Konventionen: Transnationale Konzerne und die Menschenrechte

| Beitrag von Andrea Koch

Das ECCHR hat mit Unterstützung einiger seiner Partnerorganisationen die Bayer AG und die Bayer CropScience AG wegen deren Geschäftspraktiken in Indien bei der Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen angezeigt. Das Vorgehen ist wichtig, um den „Accountability Gap“ auch im Bereich des Exports von Pestiziden offenzulegen – und zukünftig möglichst zu schließen. Mit juristischen Mitteln allein lässt sich das Problem jedoch nicht lösen. Weiterlesen…

Supply chain liability: The lawsuit by Karachi claimants against retailer KiK in historic perspective

| Beitrag von Dr. Carolijn Terwindt

On 29 August 2016, the court (Landgericht) in Dortmund, Germany, issued an important decision: In a claim by Pakistani survivors and legal heirs against German retailer KiK for injuries and deaths during a fire at a factory supplying jeans in Karachi, the judges accepted jurisdiction and granted legal aid to the Pakistani claimants to cover the legal fees. While at the very same time the German National Action Plan on business and human rights turns out to be less about binding obligations than about voluntary responsibility, this judicial decision is a first step towards accountability for transnational human rights violations by German companies abroad. It is the first time that a transnational claim by workers and their families from a supplying factory against a retailer will be heard in Germany. Weiterlesen…

The PILP (Public Interest Litigation Project) case against arms trade

| Beitrag von Jelle Klaas and Merel Hendrickx

Can the Dutch government license a Dutch arms trader to ship EUR 35 million worth of arms to Egypt, knowing these arms will most likely be used by the Egyptian navy in the blockade of Yemen? What human rights and international law criteria apply here? How has the Dutch state implemented these criteria and how could this have resulted into licensing the arms trade? Furthermore, do human rights and peace organisations have the right to fight this shipment and the trade license in court? Weiterlesen…