Rodney Nelson sought judicial review of his involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital under Ontario’s Mental Health Act (“MHA”) and an order for his immediate release due to rights infringements. Nelson had a lengthy history of crimes with many violent offences, including sexual offences against women and children. A psychiatrist completed an application for psychiatric …Read more

In 1980, the Applicant, Mr. James Clifton Murray, was found guilty of the murder of a six year old girl in Aruba. At the time of his conviction, the Netherlands consisted of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, which included the islands of Aruba and Curaçao. The judgment from the First Instance Court of the …Read more

The petitioner and his accomplice kidnapped, beat, raped, and murdered a pregnant woman before driving to a convenience store, which they planned to rob. In the parking lot of the store, they killed a sheriff’s deputy who attempted to apprehend them. The petitioner received the death penalty for both murders. He argued that he could …Read more

The applicant was severely disabled as a result of Down’s Syndrome. The applicant lived with her mother, her nearest relative. She often exhibited difficult behavior and towards the end of 2002 social workers had become extremely concerned about the impact on the physical and mental health of the applicant and her mother. On 31 January …Read more

The Applicant, a UK citizen born in 1947, alleged that the seclusion policy (“Policy”) of Ashworth Special Hospital (“Ashworth”), the maximum security hospital where he was committed for a mental illness, violated the European Convention on Human Rights. After several instances of incarceration and hospitalization on account of various mental health issues, the applicant was …Read more

The Crown alleged that the complainant, a 26-year-old woman with the mental age of a three to 6-year-old was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her mother’s partner D.A.I during the four years that he lived in their home. The Crown sought to call the complainant to testify about the alleged assaults. The trial judge found that …Read more

The petitioners, the Kenya Society for the Mentally Handicapped, brought suit against the Kenyan government for violating the rights of Kenyans with intellectual, mental and psychosocial disabilities. They brought suit against six respondents: the National Council for Persons with Disabilities for not implementing measures that address the needs of people with mental disabilities, formulate policies to …Read more

The Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (“CEHURD”) alleged that Uganda passed laws that were (1) degrading to mentally challenged individuals and (2) contrary to the Ugandan Constitution (“Constitution”). The factual issue at hand involved the claim that people with mental disabilities were being detained for long and indefinite periods of time without due …Read more

The applicant, a Colombian woman, tutela action (appeal for legal protection) on behalf of her daughter against EPS Coomeva, a health care provider in Colombia. The child was diagnosed with cognitive disabilities, which required, according to the Fundación Integrar de Medellín, an institution specialized in the care of patients, that the child receive special education …Read more

A., a boy born in the Netherlands to a Nigerian immigrant mother, was diagnosed with an autistic disorder and an intellectual deficiency. As a result, A. required counseling programs as a supplement to traditional schooling by the Dutch Care Needs Assessment Centre (“CAC”). A. made a request for a residence permit under the Dutch Aliens …Read more