British Columbia Civil Liberties Association v Canada (Attorney General)
Country: CanadaYear: 2018
Court: Supreme Court of British Columbia
Citation: 2018 BCSC 62
Health Topics: Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Right to bodily integrity, Right to life
The plaintiffs are two non-profit organizations, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association and the John Howard Society of Canada. The plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of sections 31-33 and 37 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), which authorized administrative segregation of inmates in federal prisons. Section 31 provided that the purpose of administrative segregation …Read more
Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development & Anr. v. Attorney General
Country: UgandaYear: 2018
Court: The High Court of Uganda at Kampala
Citation: Civil Suit No. 094 of 2015
Health Topics: Disabilities, Health care and health services, Hospitals, Mental health
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to a clean environment, Right to health, Right to liberty and security of person, Right to privacy, Right to water and sanitation
The plaintiff stated that the Butabika Hospital is the only public psychiatric hospital under the Ministry of Health in Uganda. Further it is the only mental referral hospital and cases referred to it by other health facilities are of acute conditions, which require a specialized and skilled management. A part of the procedure in the …Read more
Navtej Singh Johar & Ors. v. Union of India
Country: IndiaYear: 2018
Court: Supreme Court of India
Citation: Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 76 of 2016
Health Topics: Health care and health services, HIV/AIDS, Mental health, Sexual and reproductive health
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Freedom of expression, Right of access to information, Right to bodily integrity, Right to family life, Right to health, Right to life, Right to privacy
Petitioners, by means of a writ petition, challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (‘IPC’), which made “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” a criminal offense punishable with life imprisonment. Petitioners argued that homosexuality, bisexuality, and other sexual orientations are equally natural and reflective of expression of choice and individuals should have the …Read more
Shatrughan Chauhan and another v. Union of India and others
Country: IndiaYear: 2014
Court: Supreme Court
Citation: Writ Petition 55 of 2013
Health Topics: Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to liberty and security of person, Right to life
Fifteen criminal convicts sentenced to the death penalty challenged their sentences as in violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which protects the right to life. They claimed that the executive orders rejecting their mercy petitions were passed without considering supervening events, including delay, insanity, solitary confinement, and procedural lapses. Two convicts alleged that the …Read more
Aswat v. United Kingdom
Country: United KingdomYear: 2013
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application No. 17299/12
Health Topics: Health care and health services, Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
The applicant was a man suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia. He was indicted in the United State as a co-conspirator in an effort to establish a jihad training camp in Oregon. At the time of trial, the applicant was detained in a hospital in the UK and was subject to an extradition request made by …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
Wachira Weheire v. Attorney General
Country: KenyaYear: 2010
Court: High Court at Nairobi
Citation: Civil Case 1184 of 2003; 2010 AHRLR 185 (KeHC 2010)
Health Topics: Diet and nutrition, Mental health, Prisons, Water, sanitation and hygiene
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 plaintiff, Weheire, brought a suit against the Attorney-General alleging degrading and inhuman treatment during his arrest and detainment in 1986, a violation of his rights under the Constitution of Kenya (“Constitution”),. In December 1986, Weheire was arrested without a warrant. After his arrest, Weheire claimed that his house was unlawfully searched. Weheire further alleged …Read more
Marcela Alejandra Porco v. Bolivia
Country: BoliviaYear: 2008
Court: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Citation: Report No. 8/08, Case 11.426
Health Topics: Controlled substances, Health care and health services, Mental health, Prisons, Sexual and reproductive health
Human Rights: Right to bodily integrity, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to liberty and security of person, Right to privacy
The petitioner sued the Bolivian State (“the State”) for numerous violations regarding her treatment in prison. The present case is deciding whether this petition is admissible before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (“the Commission”). There is disagreement between the parties as to the facts. Marcela Alejandra Porco, an Argentine citizen, was detained in the …Read more
Enhorn v. Sweden
Country: SwedenYear: 2005
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: [2005] E.C.H.R. 56529/00
Health Topics: Child and adolescent health, Controlled substances, Health care and health services, Health information, HIV/AIDS, Hospitals, Infectious diseases, Mental health, Public safety, Sexual and reproductive health
Human Rights: Right to liberty and security of person
The Applicant was an HIV-positive man who had sex with men. He had transmitted HIV to another, younger man through a sexual encounter prior to his diagnosis. He was subsequently instructed by the county medical officer, among other things, not to have sexual intercourse without first disclosing to his partner that he was HIV-positive, to …Read more
Keenan v. United Kingdom
Country: United KingdomYear: 2001
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: App. No. 27229/95, 33 Eur. H.R. Rep. 913 (2001).
Health Topics: Health care and health services, Health systems and financing, Medical malpractice, Medicines, Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Freedom of movement and residence, Right to bodily integrity, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to life
The applicant brought an action on behalf of her mentally ill son, Mark Keenan, who killed himself in prison, alleging the State was in violation of Articles 2 (right to life), 3 (prohibition of torture) and 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention. The applicant alleged that her son, who was known …Read more