Centre for Addiction and Mental Health v. Ontario
Country: CanadaYear: 2012
Court: Ontario Court of Appeal
Citation: 2012 ONCA 342
Health Topics: Hospitals, Informed consent, Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Right to liberty and security of person
The Centre for Addition and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Mental Health Centre Penetanguichene (MHCP)appealed an order by the Mental Disorder Court to send a person accused of sexual assault to a hospital for psychiatric treatment. The judge knew that beds for treatment would not be available until six days later. The appeal was on …Read more
Eremiášová and Pechová v. The Czech Republic
Country: Czech RepublicYear: 2012
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application No. 23944/04
Health Topics: Prisons
Human Rights: Right to life
V.P., the partner of the first applicant and son of the second applicant, was arrested for suspected burglary. At the Police Department he was charged with illegal entry into a house and theft. According to official reports, after V.P. signed the notice of charges, he asked to use the toilet. He was accompanied to the …Read more
Goginashvili v. Georgia
Country: GeorgiaYear: 2012
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application No. 47729/08
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Health care and health services, Infectious diseases, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to health
Goginashvili, a prisoner, sued the government of Georgia, alleging that the prison authority violated his right to health care due to its failure to protect his health and well-being in prison, contrary to its obligation under Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“Convention”). Article 3 prohibits …Read more
Gunan v. Kyrgyzstan
Country: KyrgyzstanYear: 2012
Court: United Nations Human Rights Committee
Citation: Communication No. 1545/2007; CCPR/C/102/D/1545/2007
Health Topics: Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to life
On 21 May 1998 an unidentified person left a bag containing an improvised explosive device (‘IED’) in a minibus in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Unaware of its contents, the driver of the minibus gave the bag to someone to hold in case the owner came back to claim it. On 1 June 1998, the IED in the …Read more
Jeladze v. Georgia
Country: GeorgiaYear: 2012
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application No. 1871/08
Health Topics: Health care and health services, Infectious diseases, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
Mr. Genadi Jeladze, an imprisoned Georgian national, discovered that he had contracted a chronic form of viral Hepatitis C (“HCV”) while in prison. A self-funded medical examination recommended antiviral treatment on an outpatient basis. In response, the prison offered drug treatment which did not include antiviral drugs. Over the next year, Jeladze’s lawyer requested a …Read more
Joyce Nawila Chiti v. Zambia
Country: ZambiaYear: 2012
Court: United Nations Human Rights Committee
Citation: Communication no. 1303/2004
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Diet and nutrition, Health care and health services, HIV/AIDS, Medicines, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Freedom of movement and residence, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to education, Right to family life, Right to health, Right to liberty and security of person, Right to life, Right to privacy
On 28 October 1997, JC (a military officer) was arrested by Zambian police for an attempted coup d’état. He was severely tortured and charged with treason. While being tortured, he was forced to sign false confessions and to implicate other military officials. Because of the torture, he was hospitalized at various times. On 31 October …Read more
Koryak v. Russia
Country: RussiaYear: 2012
Court: The European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application number 24677/10
Health Topics: Health care and health services, HIV/AIDS, Infectious diseases, Medicines, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to liberty and security of person
The applicant was arrested and convicted of murder. The applicant alleged that he had not received proper medical attention while in detention and his detention and refusal to release despite his serious medical condition amounted to cruel treatment. He was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment in 2004. The applicant had been suffering from Tuberculosis …Read more
Munjaz v. United Kingdom
Country: United KingdomYear: 2012
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application No. 2913/06; [2012] ECHR 1704
Health Topics: Hospitals, Mental health
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Freedom of movement and residence, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to family life, Right to liberty and security of person
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
Application of Justice Health, re a Patient
Country: AustraliaYear: 2011
Court: Supreme Court of New South Wales
Citation: (2011) 80 NSWLR 354; [2011] NSWSC 432
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Informed consent, Prisons
Human Rights: Right to bodily integrity, Right to health
An inmate in a correction centre (the “patient”) had end-stage lung cancer with, at best, weeks to live. The patient was incompetent to give consent or refuse any medical treatment and had no guardian who could provide substituted consent. The unanimous medical opinion was that further active treatment would be futile, and additional medical opinion …Read more
Brown v. Plata
Country: United StatesYear: 2011
Court: Supreme Court
Citation: 131 S.Ct. 1910 (2011)
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Health care and health services, Health systems and financing, Hospitals, Infectious diseases, Mental health, Prisons, Violence, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to health
This case involved an appeal from a decision made by a three-judge court that was convened by the Federal District Court to decide the appropriate remedy for violations of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The violations were the subject of two related Federal District Court cases in California: Coleman v. Brown (1990) …Read more