Petitioner, Sell, had a long history of mental illness. In 1998, a federal grand jury issued an indictment charging Sell with attempting to murder an FBI agent who had arrested him in connection with a separate charge of mail fraud and a former employee who planned to testify against him in the upcoming fraud case. …Read more

The applicant was registered as a male at birth. In 1991, The District Court granted the applicant’s request to change her forenames to Carola Brenda after hearing from several psychiatric and psychological experts who determined that the applicant was a male-to-female transsexual and had been for the last three years living as a female. In …Read more

H, a young woman who suffered from Down’s syndrome and was severely mentally disabled, lived with her mother, BL, who was deeply distrustful of the health authorities. When her BL fell ill and H’s behaviour became increasingly disturbed H was formally admitted to hospital for assessment under section 2 (allowing mandatory commitment for mentally ill …Read more

F, M, D, B, J and Q were six asylum-seekers who had sought assistance from the Secretary of State under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, 2002. As per section 55 of the Act, the Secretary of State may not provide support to an asylum-seeker, if the Secretary “is not satisfied that the claim was …Read more

The defendant was one of three officers in command of the Bosnian-Serb Army operating in the area of Sarajevo (“SRK”) during the 1992 siege of Sarajevo. He was the commander for the longest period, almost two years, from around 10 September 1992 to 10 August 1994. The Prosecution alleged that during his command he conducted a protracted campaign of …Read more

Police officers entered a private residence in response to a report of a disturbance and came upon two men engaged in a sexual act. The men were arrested for and charged with violating a Texas state criminal law that prohibited “deviate sexual intercourse [defined as oral or anal sex] with another individual of the same sex.” …Read more

The author challenges the refusal of his visa application as a violation of his right to equality before the law as provided for in article 26 (equal before law) of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights (the Covenant) in addition to article 2, paragraph 3, (right to remedy); article 14, paragraph 1 (right …Read more

First and second applicants, both Greek nationals, were mother and son, respectively. They owned real property that included a swamp by the coast in Ayios Yiannis. During their ownership, the prefect of Cyclades redrew the boundaries of Ayios Yiannis on the basis of which the town-planning authority of Syros issued building permits for the area …Read more

Complainants P and M were mental health advocates, who brought the complaint on behalf of patients detained at Campama, a psychiatric unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital, and existing and future mental health patients detained under the Mental Health Acts of the Republic of The Gambia. Complainants alleged that legislation governing mental health in The …Read more

The applicant instituted proceedings before the District Court to change her forename to Carola Brenda. The District Court held that the conditions under the Transsexuals Act were met and granted the request in 1991. In 1992, the applicant brought an action against a German health insurance company. She claimed reimbursement for hormone therapy and sex-reassignment …Read more

The Appellant, Atkins, a mentally disabled individual, was convicted of capital murder and related crimes by a Virginia jury and sentenced to death. He brought this appeal alleging that he could not be sentenced to death because executing the mentally disabled would constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” as prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.

Mr. Damião Ximenes Lopes was admitted to Casa de Repouso on October 1st, 1999 to receive treatment for his mental illness. When his mother, Mrs. Albertina Ximenes, went to visit him three days later, Mr. Lopes had his hands bound behind his back.  He was bruised, his head was swollen, his nose bloody, and he …Read more

Calvelli and Ciglio’s baby was transferred to an intensive care unit immediately after its birth, and died two days later of post-asphyxia syndrome. EC, the doctor who had delivered the baby and was a joint owner of the clinic, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and received a one year suspended prison sentence under the …Read more

Jacob was convicted of murder by the State and a mandatory death sentence by hanging was imposed on him in accordance with the domestic law of Grenada. Jacob and the deceased had been in a relationship and had lived together previously, ending their cohabitation a few months before the deceased’s death. A psychiatrist testified on …Read more

Paul Lallion appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights alleging that his death penalty sentencing and appeal process, as well as the prison conditions he was subjected to during this process, violated Articles 4 (right to life), 5 (right to humane treatment), 7 (right to personal liberty), 8 (right to a fair trial), and …Read more

This case was heard by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Their opinion is available here. Leaders of the Yakye Axa indigenous community of the Enxet-Lengua people filed suit against the Republic of Paraguay claiming that the Paraguayan State violated Articles 4 (right to life) and 25 (judicial protection), in conjunction with Article 1(1) (obligation …Read more

A medical provider was accused of having provided unnecessary medical services paid for by the mandatory healthcare and benefits insurance regime of Belgium, in violation of Article 73 of the Law relating to mandatory healthcare and benefits insurance (“Healthcare Law”), which prohibited the provision of unnecessarily expensive or superfluous services. The medical provider contested the …Read more

Applicant, Russian national and President of the Northeast Commercial Bank, was accused of embezzlement and placed in detention. According to the applicant, he was detained in overcrowded and unsanitary cells, which occasionally contained inmates suffering from tuberculosis and syphilis. Moreover, the cells had inadequate toilet facilities, insufficient ventilation, and pest infestations. As a result the …Read more

Petitioner claimed a breach of Article 7 (freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment) and Article 9, particularly Article 9(1) (right to liberty and security of person) and Article 9(4) (a person deprived of liberty’s right to fair trial) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) when he was …Read more

L, who was a Latvian national, was the former chairman of the supervisory board of Latvia’s largest bank. The bank went into liquidation, causing severe damage to the national economy and the financial ruin of many. L was suspected of the offence of sabotage for having authorized the transfer of approximately 139 million euros, more …Read more

N, a cane cutter, was arrested on charges of having unlawful sexual intercourse with his six year old daughter contrary to s 175 of the Penal Code. Within two hours he was presented before the court and cautioned. The magistrate asked N whether he wished to consult his lawyer, but he declined. At trial he …Read more

The case discusses the constitutionality of a statute that denied bail to people accused of rape. Marapo was arrested and charged with rape. Under Section 142(1)(i) of the Botswana Penal Code, he was not entitled to bail before trial. Marapo brought his case to the High Court, arguing that section 142(1)(i) of the Penal Code …Read more

P was a U.S. citizen and C was her British husband. Their daughter, S, was born in 1998 in the UK. In 1985, P had given birth to a son B in the US. In 1994, the California authorities took B into protective custody, alleging that P was harming B by administering laxatives to him …Read more

B and W were detained in hospital after being sentenced to terms of discretionary life imprisonment. Both complained that they did not have access to a procedure by which they could challenge the lawfulness of their continued detention. B was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape in 1983. His tariff period of detention was set …Read more

The applicant and her son were Ukrainian nationals of Russian origin. The applicant lodged a claim before the United Nations Human Rights Committee (the Committee) on behalf of her son who by then was detained in Ukraine as a result of his conviction on Rape by the district court. His appeals to the regional and …Read more

The applicants are Italian Nationals whose baby died shortly after delivery at a private clinic. The baby suffered from respiratory and neurological post-asphyxia syndrome that resulted from the position it came at the time of delivery; the baby died two days after birth on 9 February 1987. The public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation of …Read more

Petitioners were former patients who received obstetrical care at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), a public hospital in the city of Charleston, and who were arrested after testing positive for cocaine. In 1988, concerns arose among MUSC staff about an apparent increase in the use of cocaine by patients who were receiving prenatal …Read more