International human rights law (IHRL) was established in the aftermath of the Second World War to prevent a reoccurrence of the atrocities committed in the name of fascism. Central to this aim was the recognition that out-groups are particularly vulnerable to rights violations committed by the in-group. Yet, it is increasingly apparent that out-groups are still subject to a wide range of rights violations, including those associated with mass atrocities. These rights violations are facilitated by the dehumanisation of the out-group by the in-group. Consequently, this article argues that the creation of IHRL treaties and corresponding monitoring mechanisms should be viewed as the first step towards protecting out-groups from human rights violations. By adopting the lens of dehumanisation, this article demonstrates that if IHRL is to achieve its purpose, IHRL monitoring mechanisms must recognise the connection between dehumanisation and rights violations and develop a positive State obligation to counter dehumanisation. The four treaties explored in this article, the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, all establish positive State obligations to prevent hate speech and to foster tolerant societies. These obligations should, in theory, allow IHRL monitoring mechanisms to address dehumanisation. However, their interpretation of the positive State obligation to foster tolerant societies does not go far enough to counter unconscious dehumanisation and requires more detailed elaboration. |
Search result: 54 articles
Article |
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Journal | Erasmus Law Review, Issue 3 2020 |
Keywords | Dehumanisation, International Human Rights Law, Positive State obligations, Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination |
Authors | Stephanie Eleanor Berry |
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Article |
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Journal | Erasmus Law Review, Issue 3 2020 |
Keywords | Roma, Travellers, positive obligations, segregation, culturally adequate accommodation |
Authors | Lilla Farkas and Theodoros Alexandridis |
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The article analyses the jurisprudence of international tribunals on the education and housing of Roma and Travellers to understand whether positive obligations can change the hearts and minds of the majority and promote minority identities. Case law on education deals with integration rather than cultural specificities, while in the context of housing it accommodates minority needs. Positive obligations have achieved a higher level of compliance in the latter context by requiring majorities to tolerate the minority way of life in overwhelmingly segregated settings. Conversely, little seems to have changed in education, where legal and institutional reform, as well as a shift in both majority and minority attitudes, would be necessary to dismantle social distance and generate mutual trust. The interlocking factors of accessibility, judicial activism, European politics, expectations of political allegiance and community resources explain jurisprudential developments. The weak justiciability of minority rights, the lack of resources internal to the community and dual identities among the Eastern Roma impede legal claims for culture-specific accommodation in education. Conversely, the protection of minority identity and community ties is of paramount importance in the housing context, subsumed under the right to private and family life. |
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Journal | Erasmus Law Review, Issue 3 2020 |
Keywords | Human rights, positive state obligations, islamophobia, international supervisory mechanisms |
Authors | Kristin Henrard |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Islamophobia, like xenophobia, points to deep-seated, ingrained discrimination against a particular group, whose effective enjoyment of fundamental rights is impaired. This in turn triggers the human rights obligations of liberal democratic states, more particularly states’ positive obligations (informed by reasonability considerations) to ensure that fundamental rights are effectively enjoyed, and thus also respected in interpersonal relationships. This article identifies and compares the fault lines in the practice of three international human rights supervisory mechanisms in relation to Islamophobia, namely the Human Rights Committee (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), the European Court of Human Rights (European Convention on Human Rights) and the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The supervisory practice is analysed in two steps: The analysis of each international supervisory mechanism’s jurisprudence, in itself, is followed by the comparison of the fault lines. The latter comparison is structured around the two main strands of strategies that states could adopt in order to counter intolerance: On the one hand, the active promotion of tolerance, inter alia through education, awareness-raising campaigns and the stimulation of intercultural dialogue; on the other, countering acts informed by intolerance, in terms of the prohibition of discrimination (and/or the effective enjoyment of substantive fundamental rights). Having regard to the respective strengths and weaknesses of the supervisory practice of these three international supervisory mechanisms, the article concludes with some overarching recommendations. |
Editorial |
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Journal | Erasmus Law Review, Issue 3 2020 |
Authors | Kristin Henrard |
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Article |
Regional Differentiation in Europe, between EU Proposals and National Reforms |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 3 2020 |
Keywords | regional differentiation, regional disparities, autonomy, regionalism, subsidiarity, European Union, multilevel governance |
Authors | Gabriella Saputelli |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Regions and local governments play a very important role in the application of European law and in the implementation of European policies. The economic crisis of 2008 has accentuated territorial and social differentiation and highlighted the negative effects of globalization. This circumstance has created resentment among peripheral and marginal communities in the electoral results, but also a strong request for involvement, participation and sometimes independence from territories. These developments raise new questions about the relationship between the EU and the Regions and, more widely, about the role of subnational entities in the EU integration process, as they are the institutions nearest to citizens. |
Article |
Unlocking the Sixth Committee’s Potential to Act for Crimes Against Humanity as It Did for Genocide |
Journal | African Journal of International Criminal Justice, Issue 2 2020 |
Keywords | crimes against humanity, General Assembly, International Law Commission, Sixth Committee, United Nations |
Authors | Michael Imran Kanu |
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The International Law Commission, on completion of its work on the draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, recommended to the General Assembly the elaboration of a convention by the said Assembly or by an international conference of plenipotentiaries based on the said draft articles. The Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly at the first opportunity only took note of the draft articles and postponed consideration of the recommendation to its next session. The resolution of the General Assembly, as recommended by the Sixth Committee, does not readily disclose the full extent of the debate, proposals and concerns expressed in the Sixth Committee that prevented the General Assembly from acting on the Commission’s recommendation. This article, in considering the cornucopia of views expressed by States, outlines a path to unlock the Sixth Committee’s potential to act, by proposing a separation of the organizational and substantive matters and future-proofing the further consideration of elaborating a convention through the adoption of a structured approach. |
Article |
Gender and LanguageA Public Law Perspective |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 1 2020 |
Keywords | gender language, drafting, language, coercion, linguistic policies |
Authors | Maria De Benedetto |
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The article adopts a public law perspective in order to focus on Gender-Fair Language (GFL) policies and drafting, by considering both language neutralization and language differentiation in some legal systems characterized by different languages. |
Article |
The New Regulation Governing AIR, VIR and ConsultationA Further Step Forward Towards ‘Better Regulation’ in Italy |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 4 2019 |
Keywords | regulation, RIA, regulatory impact analysis, impact assessment, evaluation, consultation |
Authors | Victor Chimienti |
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This article describes the scope and contents of the newly adopted regulation governing regulatory impact analysis (RIA) and ex post evaluation of regulation (ExPER) in the Italian legal system. The article shows that this regulation has the potential to improve regulatory governance in Italy. Not only does it introduce innovations designed to increase transparency and participation, especially through strengthened consultation and communication mechanisms, but it also aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of regulatory analysis and evaluation activities. How the new regulation will be applied in practice, however, remains to be seen. In the meantime, the new set of rules are a welcome addition to Italy’s Better Regulation policy. |
Book Review |
Vanda Lamm (ed.): Emberi Jogi Enciklopédia (Book Review) |
Journal | Hungarian Yearbook of International Law and European Law, Issue 1 2019 |
Authors | Zénó Suller |
Author's information |
Article |
Magyar Jeti Zrt. v. HungaryJudgment of the ECtHR Concerning the Imposition of Liability for Posting Hyperlinks to Defamatory Content |
Journal | Hungarian Yearbook of International Law and European Law, Issue 1 2019 |
Keywords | freedom of expression, defamatory content, liability of online press, Article 10 ECHR, hyperlinks |
Authors | Renáta Gyalog |
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The article aims to introduce the judgment of the ECtHR on the case Magyar Jeti Zrt. v. Hungary. Although in this Hungarian case the ECtHR dealt with a special provision of the Hungarian Civil Code that – under the interpretation of the domestic courts – imposes objective liability for posting hyperlinks which lead to third-party online content, the judgment can be considered as a big improvement compared to the previous decisions of the ECtHR concerning the freedom of expression. The judgment offers legal certainty and guidance for journalists who post hyperlinks by determining five relevant questions to be taken into account when deciding whether the liability of a press organ can be established for contents cited from other websites over which they have no control. Becoming the best ECtHR judgment of the year 2018 under the yearly vote announced by Strasbourg Observers blog portal also emphasizes the importance and the relevance of this decision for the digital media. |
Human Rights Literature Reviews |
Hungary |
Journal | East European Yearbook on Human Rights, Issue 1 2019 |
Authors | Alexandra Sipos PhD |
Author's information |
PhD Review |
‘Romani Women in European Politics: Exploring Multi-Layered Political Spaces for Intersectional Policies and Mobilizations’PhD by Serena D’Agostino (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), supervisors: Karen Celis, Ilke Adam. |
Journal | Politics of the Low Countries, Issue 2 2019 |
Authors | Peter Vermeersch |
Author's information |
Law Review |
2019/1 EELC’s review of the year 2018 |
Journal | European Employment Law Cases, Issue 1 2019 |
Authors | Ruben Houweling, Catherine Barnard, Filip Dorssemont e.a. |
Abstract |
For the second time, various of our academic board analysed employment law cases from last year. However, first, we start with some general remarks. |
Article |
Unamendability and Constitutional Identity in the Italian Constitutional Experience |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 3 2019 |
Keywords | Unamendability, constitutional identity, republic, counterlimits, European integration, Italy |
Authors | Pietro Faraguna |
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The article explores the historical roots of the explicit unamendable clause(s) in the Italian Constitution. Following, it explores the scholarly debate over the interpretation of unamendable provisions. The article investigates theories of implicit unamendability of the Italian Constitution, and, in particular, it analyses the crucial role played by the Constitutional Court of Italy (ICC) and the principles that characterize Italian constitutional identity. Furthermore, the article explores the other side of constitutional identity, namely the theory of ‘counterlimits.’ The ICC specified that constitutional identity not only sets a limit to constitutional amendment powers but also sets ‘counterlimits’ to the entry of external norms (i.e., supranational and international law) in the domestic legal system. Finally, the article draws some conclusions and argues that the two sides of constitutional identity, although legally and logically independent, mutually reinforce each other and, ultimately, reinforce the counter-majoritarian nature of unamendability. |
Article |
Post-Legislative Scrutiny as a Form of Executive OversightTools and Practices in Europe |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 2 2019 |
Keywords | scrutiny of law enforcement, ex-post impact assessment, parliamentary oversight of the executive, post-legislative scrutiny |
Authors | Elena Griglio |
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Parliaments’ engagement in post-legislative scrutiny can be considered either as an extension of the legislative function or within the framework of the oversight of the executive. This article makes use of the latter view to assess how parliaments in Europe approach post-legislative scrutiny and to which extent this function can be regarded as a form of executive oversight. Although rules and practices of parliaments in this realm are remarkably heterogeneous, the focus on some selected parliaments (Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, and the European Parliament) reveals three different conceptual categories. In the ‘basic’ approach (passive scrutinizers), parliaments limit their role solely to the assessment of the ex-post scrutiny performed by the government and external agencies. Differently, parliaments willing to engage in a more proactive approach might choose either to act on an informal basis, establishing ad hoc research/evaluation administrative units (informal scrutinizers) or to address post-legislative scrutiny in a formal and highly institutionalized manner (formal scrutinizers). As a matter of fact, the practise of parliaments often combines characters of different categories. While in all of these approaches post-legislative scrutiny shows potential for executive oversight, only the third can potentially lead to a kind of ‘hard’ oversight. |
Rulings |
ECJ 25 October 2018, case C-331/17 (Sciotto), Fixed-term workMartina Sciotto – v – Fondazione Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Italian case |
Journal | European Employment Law Cases, Issue 4 2018 |
Keywords | Fixed-term work |
Abstract |
The Framework Agreement to protect the misuse of successive fixed-term employment contracts or relationships precludes legislation, which disapplies rules aimed against such misuse, when there is no other effective penalty. |
Article |
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Journal | Erasmus Law Review, Issue 3 2018 |
Keywords | user generated content, public and private responsibilities, intermediary liability, hate speech and fake news, protection of fundamental rights |
Authors | Katharina Kaesling |
AbstractAuthor's information |
These days, it appears to be common ground that what is illegal and punishable offline must also be treated as such in online formats. However, the enforcement of laws in the field of hate speech and fake news in social networks faces a number of challenges. Public policy makers increasingly rely on the regu-lation of user generated online content through private entities, i.e. through social networks as intermediaries. With this privat-ization of law enforcement, state actors hand the delicate bal-ancing of (fundamental) rights concerned off to private entities. Different strategies complementing traditional law enforcement mechanisms in Europe will be juxtaposed and analysed with particular regard to their respective incentive structures and consequential dangers for the exercise of fundamental rights. Propositions for a recommendable model honouring both pri-vate and public responsibilities will be presented. |
Article |
Sharing Best Practice?The EU, the Right to Water and Sanitation and the UPR |
Journal | Hungarian Yearbook of International Law and European Law, Issue 1 2018 |
Authors | Melinda Szappanyos |
Author's information |
Book Review |
Restoring justice and security in intercultural Europe |
Journal | The International Journal of Restorative Justice, Issue 3 2018 |
Authors | Stephan Terblanche |
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Article |
The European Court of Human Rights in the States of the Former Yugoslavia |
Journal | East European Yearbook on Human Rights, Issue 1 2018 |
Keywords | Ex-Yugoslavia, European Court of Human Rights, domestic implementation, the rule of law, human rights |
Authors | Jernej Letnar Černič |
AbstractAuthor's information |
The countries of the former Yugoslavia have in past decades failed to fully meet both the challenges of the socio-economic environment and of the full-fledged functioning of the rule of law and the protection of human rights. Their development was in the first decade halted by the inter-ethnic wars, while in the second decade their institutions have been hijacked by various populist interest groups. All the countries of the former Yugoslavia have been so far facing a constant crisis of liberal democratic institutions of the modern state, based on the rule of law. Only a small number of them have decided to accept effective measures to break away from such crises. In order to present the problems of the newly established democracies in the former Yugoslavia, this article presents and analyses the contributions of the European Court of Human Rights to establishing the rule of law and effective human rights protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. In the closing part of the article, conclusions are drawn on how those countries should proceed to internalize the values of human rights protections in liberal democracies. |