Human Rights

British Journalist Killed By Russian Missile Strike

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Elgin Akyurt on Unsplash

  Photo by Engin Akyurt on Unsplash     The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine has strongly condemned the killing of a British journalist working for the Reuters news agency. It also said the events of the last few days has been “unprecedented” for the media organisation and its representatives in war-torn Ukraine. This…

Ukraine Bans Activities of the Russian Orthodox Church

by Guest Contributor

On 24 August President Zelensky signed Law No. 8371 “On Protecting the Constitutional Order in the Field of Religious Organizations”, aimed at banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) which had been adopted by the Verkhovna Rada four days earlier, writes Willy Fautre. The law will come into effect 30 days after its publication. However, with…

Japan Firmly Rejects Polisario Puppet Entity

by James Wilson

Japan, which on Friday hosted the preparatory proceedings for the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), solemnly reiterated its non-recognition of the polisario puppet entity, according to reports from Medi1 T. Japan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fukazawa Yoichi, speaking at the plenary session, affirmed that the intrusion of the polisario at this…

EU Sanctions For Human Rights Abuse

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash EU member states have rubberstamped a new round of restrictive measures against four persons and two entities under the European Union’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.  The listed individuals and entities are responsible for serious human rights abuses worldwide, including torture and systematic and widespread sexual and gender-based violence. The EU says the new listings include the…

Victory for Gabriel Popoviciu in 18 Year Legal Battle as Court of Appeal Fully Absolves Him

by James Wilson

An 18 year-long legal saga finally reached its end this month, with victory for Gabriel (Puiu) Popoviciu. Bucharest’s Court of Appeal stated that Popoviciu had been wrongly accused and fully acquitted him, along with the other ten defendants in the case. Judge Liana Arsenie, the head of the Court of Appeal, gave a 172 page…

Solving Mediterranean Migration

by Guest Contributor
Photo by Eric Masur on Unsplash

Photo by Eric Masur on Unsplash Irregular migration remains one of the most formidable challenges confronting even the most advanced and powerful nations globally. Despite ongoing international initiatives, substantial resources dedicated to addressing this issue, and significant advancements in technology designed to combat migration, it persists unabated. Statistics indicate a significant surge in levels of irregular migration over…

ECJ Reviews Denmark’s Ghetto Package

by Our Staff Correspondent
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will hold a public hearing on July 1 to review the legality under European law of the Danish government’s “Ghetto Package.” This is a programme introduced in 2018 that, it is said, seeks to reshape the demographic makeup of neighbourhoods through the reduction of housing in targeted areas. This has, it is claimed by campaigners, led to the loss of thousands of family homes, including through sales, demolitions, and forced evictions. One of the cases before the European Union’s top court was brought against the Danish government by a group of Copenhagen residents whose homes in Mjølnerparken, a neighborhood which was designated a “tough ghetto” under the 2018 legislation, are being sold. Campaign group, the Open Society Justice Initiative, says the determining factor in a “ghetto” designation is whether the majority of residents are labelled as being of “non-Western” background. It says that areas that meet the other criteria (over 1,000 residents and at least two of four socio-economic factors related to employment, education, crime rates, and income) are reportedly not subject to the requirement to reduce not-for-profit family housing. The group says that despite the name, the “non-Western” categorization is not based on geography and the residents argue that it is in breach of the EU’s anti race discrimination laws. This, it is further claimed, is in line with the independent findings of a number of international treaty and monitoring bodies such as UN Committees, “with three UN human rights experts having also highlighted that the legislation particularly impacts non-White populations and Muslims.” The Open Society Justice Initiative says that in 2019 the Danish government began referring to the affected areas as “parallel societies” and “transformation areas” instead of “ghettos” and “tough ghettos” in its annual list of targeted areas. “However, there was no structural change to the scheme; and it is clear that the amendment was not to benefit existing residents but to attract others into these areas.” Mjølnerparken was removed from the most recent list, produced in December 2023, as the number of residents has dropped below 1,000 because of ongoing displacement and redevelopment, says Open Society Justice Initiative. “Nonetheless, the sale of over 200 family homes to a private investor is proceeding, with new residents now moving in to replace those who have had to leave. This is despite an urgent appeal from three UN human rights experts requesting Denmark to halt the sale pending resolution of the litigation and a judgment of December 2021 from the Danish Eastern High Court stressing that that the loss of a home is such a serious fundamental rights issue that the residents are entitled to challenge the “Ghetto Package” development plan for the area before it is carried out,” it says. Together with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and two UN-appointed human rights experts, the residents seek a ruling from the CJEU on the correct interpretation of the EU’s Race Equality Directive, including in relation to the term “non-Western” background. Commenting, Susheela Math, Senior Managing Litigation Officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative, said: “It’s been a long journey for the many Danish families and individuals who have been fighting for years for their fundamental right to racial equality to be respected. Too many have already lost their homes and close-knit, diverse communities. “But we now look forward to the opportunity for the Court of Justice of the European Union to reaffirm that equality remains part of the bedrock of the region. It is crucial that no European government is permitted to avoid its legal obligations by using proxy wording for racial or ethnic origin—or by using integration as a guise to treat racialized groups as second-class citizens.” Open Society Justice Initiative says a ruling from the CJEU could be relevant not just in Denmark but across Europe where “trends of neighborhood-based discrimination have been growing.” Tobias Gregory from the housing movement Almen Modstand stated: “We are very concerned about copycat plans in other European countries. Lawmakers across EU member states are considering or engaging in variations of the Danish “ghetto law” which are not combating the housing crisis and proving instrumental in gentrification and discrimination against minority groups, immigrants, and low-income households. "It is crucial that the Court makes it clear that these proposals cannot proceed because they are unlawful.” Majken Felle, a plaintiff in the case brought before the CJEU, said: “With the ‘ghetto package’ we have experienced our homes and security being taken away from us. "This has been and still is devastating. A ruling in our favor in the CJEU would mean the world to us. It would mean a recognition that we have been treated unlawfully and restore a sense of justice. "It is also our hope that a ruling in our favor will stop future discriminatory lawmaking in Denmark and the EU, so that no other communities will suffer similar displacement and uprooting as ourselves nor other kinds of discriminatory treatment.” Further comment comes Lamies Nassri, Project Manager at The Centre for Muslims’ Rights in Denmark, who said: “Islamophobia has been on the rise the last couple of decades in Denmark, becoming a hallmark across the political spectrum. “The ‘ghetto laws’ starkly illustrate state-enabled Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims, categorizing them as ‘non-western’ to justify their displacement from their neighbourhoods. "These policies lead to stigmatization, discrimination, and the harsh reality of forced evictions to enable an increase in private development. We hope the CJEU will deliver justice and affirm that discrimination is unacceptable in Europe.”

Photo by Allan Vega on Unsplash The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will hold a public hearing on July 1 to review the legality under European law of the Danish government’s “Ghetto Package.” This is a programme introduced in 2018 that, it is said, seeks to reshape the demographic makeup of neighbourhoods through the reduction…

Call to Halt Discrimination Against Roma People

by Our Staff Correspondent
Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash The number of attacks on Sinti and Roma registered in Germany  nearly doubled in 2023, according to a new report. The Antiziganism Reporting and Information Center (MIA), a federal data tracking agency in Germany, recorded 1,233 such cases — up from 621 in 2022.  In all, authorities recorded 50 violent attacks, 10 of which…