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
M.S. v. The United Kingdom
Country: United KingdomYear: 2012
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application no. 24527/08
Health Topics: Health systems and financing, Hospitals, Mental health
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
After sounding a car horn repeatedly and behaving in a highly agitated manner, the applicant was arrested by police in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It was determined that before his arrest, the man had inflicted serious injury upon his aunt at his residence. He was detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act, which allows …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
R v. DAI
Country: CanadaYear: 2012
Court: The Supreme Court of Canada
Citation: [2012] SCC 5
Health Topics: Disabilities, Mental health, Violence
Human Rights: Right to due process/fair trial, Right to liberty and security of person
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
Rabone v. Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Country: United KingdomYear: 2012
Court: The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Citation: [2012] UKSC 2
Health Topics: Health care and health services, Hospitals, Medical malpractice, Mental health
Human Rights: Right to life
The claimants stated that the deceased was a voluntary psychiatric patient. She was assessed by the hospital as a high risk of suicide attempt as she had done so before. The hospital allowed her home leave for two days. During that period, she committed suicide. The claimants stated that the hospital and its staff were …Read more
Stanev v. Bulgaria
Country: BulgariaYear: 2012
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application no. 36760/06
Health Topics: Diet and nutrition, Health care and health services, Health systems and financing, Medicines, Mental health, Poverty
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to liberty and security of person
S, an adult male diagnosed with schizophrenia, lived for many years with his half-sister and step-mother, his closest living relatives, before they applied in 2000 to the Ruse Regional Court to have S declared legally incapacitated. The court declared S only partially incapacitated. S’s family refused to accept guardianship for S, and the court instead …Read more
The Kenya Society for the Mentally Handicapped (KSMH) v. Attorney General, et al.
Country: KenyaYear: 2012
Court: High Court at Nairobi
Citation: Petition 155A of 2011
Health Topics: Health systems and financing, Mental health
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Right to education, Right to health
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
ZH v. The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis
Country: United KingdomYear: 2012
Court: Central London County Court
Citation: [2012] EWHC 604 (QB)
Health Topics: Disabilities, Mental health
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to liberty and security of person, Right to privacy
At the time of the events involved in the case, ZH was a sixteen-year-old boy who suffered from autism and epilepsy. ZH was taken on a pool visit where he became fixated by the water. His carers and the pool staff could not touch him because he would have reacted adversely. The pool manager called …Read more
Centre For Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), et al. v. The Attorney General
Country: UgandaYear: 2011
Court: Constitutional Court
Citation: Constitutional Petition No. 64 of 2011
Health Topics: Disabilities, Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to due process/fair trial
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
Hadzic and Suljic v. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country: Bosnia-HerzegovinaYear: 2011
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application Nos. 39446/06 and 33849/08
Health Topics: Mental health, Prisons
Human Rights: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to liberty and security of person
Mr. Hadzic and Mr. Suljic were detained in the Psychiatric Annex of Zenica Prison. Each claimed that their detention was unlawful under Article 5, section 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“Convention”), which protects the right to liberty and security of person They argued that the Annex was not an appropriate institution for …Read more