SIMUNIC v CROATIA

Application Number 20373/17 European Court of Human Rights   The applicant, a footballer, chanted the official greeting of the Ustashe movement and totalitarian regime of the Independent State of Croatia during a football match. The ECtHR found the application manifestly ill-founded. Link: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-189769%22]} Theme(s): Ethnic and Religious Hatred Date: 22 January 2019 Description of applicant(s): Football […]

FERET v BELGIUM

Application Number: 15615/07 European Court of Human Rights [Judgment delivered in French] The Chairman of Belgium’s National Front, claimed a violation of his rights under Article 10 in relation to his conviction of incitement to racism. This case dealt with anti-immigrant statements and recommendations made by Féret in leaflets distributed during an electoral campaign. Statements […]

DINK V TURKEY

Application Numbers 2668/07, 6102/08, 30079/08, 7072/09 et 7124/09 European Court of Human Rights [Judgment delivered in French] The applicant was a journalist (deceased) (of Armenian origin) who wrote of the obsession of Armenians to have the Armenian genocide recognized by Turkey. He was found guilty of denigrating ‘Turkishness.’ The ECtHR found that his articles did […]

AKSU v. TURKEY

Application Numbers 4149/04 & 41029/04 European Court of Human Rights The applicant, who is of Roma origin, argued that a book and two dictionaries that had received government funding included remarks and expressions that reflected anti-Roma sentiment. He considered that these statements constituted an attack on his Roma identity and filed a complaint claiming that […]

GLIMERVEEN AND HAGENBEEK v. THE NETHERLANDS

Application Numbers 8348/78 8406/78 European Commission on Human Rights The first applicant was punished for possessing, with the intention of disseminating, leaflets which called for the removal of foreign workers from the Netherlands. The  first and second applicants also contested the decision of the authorities to prevent them from being on an electoral list as […]

PAVEL IVANOV v. RUSSIA

Application Number 35222/04 European Court of Human Rights The applicant published articles in his newspapers calling for, inter alia, the exclusion of Jews from social life. He was charged with publicly inciting ethnic, racial and religious hatred. The ECtHR found that the speech fell outside the scope of Convention protection. Link: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-79619%22]} Theme(s): Anti-Semitism Date: […]

ATAMANCHUK v. RUSSIA

Application Number 4439/11 European Court of Human Rights [Request for referral to the Grand Chamber pending] Application by journalist/politician regarding criminal conviction and ban on journalistic activities for statements made against non-Russians referring to them as, inter alia, criminals (with no calls for violence). Court found no violation of Article 10 due to the damaging […]

BALSYTE-LIDEIKIENE v. LITHUANIA

Application Number 72596/01 European Court of Human Rights The applicant was owner of a publishing company which published the Lithuanian Calendar. A complaint had been made regarding the content of the calendar which allegedly incited hatred against persons of Polish, Russian and Jewish origin. The calendar included statements which allegedly incited ethnic and national hatred. […]

WILLEM v FRANCE

Application Number 10883/05 European Court of Human Rights [Judgment delivered in French] The applicant, a Mayor at the material time, called for the boycotting of Israeli Products. He was fined 1,000 Euro on the grounds that he incited discrimination. The ECtHR found that there was no violation of Article 10 since preventing such incitement is […]

OTTAN v FRANCE

Application Number 41841/12 European Court of Human Rights [Judgment delivered in French] The applicant, a lawyer, had made remarks after a trial which acquitted a gendarme who had killed a young man of foreign origin by referring to the all-White composition of the jury. He received a disciplinary penalty. The ECtHR found a violation of […]