joi, 24 iulie 2014

Clandestine American prisons in Poland – the ECHR cases of Al Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah

Today, 24 July 2014, the European Court of Human Rights delivered two very important judgements in the cases of Al Nashiri v. Poland (application no. 28761/11) and Husayn (Abu Zubaydah) v.Poland (no. 7511/13), respectively, concerning allegations of torture, ill-treatment and secret detention of two men suspected of terrorist acts.
The applicants, both Saudi nationals, alleged that they were held at a CIA “black site” in Poland. The Grand Chamber judges held unanimously that Poland cooperated in the “preparation and execution of the CIA rendition, secret detention and interrogation operations” of two terrorism suspects.
Polish officials have previously denied the existence of a CIA prison on its territory. The United States has acknowledged that it kept Al Qaeda suspects in facilities outside of US jurisdiction, but has been unwilling to identify the exact locations of those facilities.
In both cases, the European Court of Human Rights held there had been:
- a violation of Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the Convention, in both its substantive and procedural aspects; a violation of Article 5 (right to liberty and security);
- a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life);
- a violation of Article 13 (right to an effective remedy);
- a violation of Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair trial).
Regarding Al Nashiri, the Court further held that there had been a violation of Articles 2 (right to life) and 3 of the Convention taken together with Article 1 of Protocol No. 6 (abolition of the death penalty).
As a matter of just satisfaction (Article 41), the court held that Poland was to pay each applicant 100,000 euros (EUR) in respect of nonpecuniary damage. In the case of Husayn (Abu Zubaydah) it also awarded the applicant EUR 30,000 in respect of costs and expenses. No claim for costs and expenses was made in the case of Al Nashiri.
ECHR also stated in both cases that Poland had failed to comply with its obligation under Article 38 of the European Convention on Human Rights - obligation to furnish all necessary facilities for the effective conduct of an investigation.

vineri, 4 iulie 2014

Seminar internaţional pe chestiuni de mediere la Opera Plaza


În perioada 30 iunie – 3 iulie 2014, s-a desfăşurat în Sala Cristal a hotelului Opera Plaza din Cluj-Napoca, seminarul internaţional „Judicial Intercultural Communication in Family Mediation organizat de Curtea de Apel Craiova, Curtea de Apel Cluj, Curtea de Apel Timişoara, Tribunalul Regional Sofia, Tribunalul din Rijeka, asociaţia Differenza Donna Italia. La seminar au participat judecători de la instanţele menţionate, precum şi mediatori.
Potrivit judecătorului Sergiu-Leon Rus de la Curtea de Apel Cluj, unul dintre participanţi, temele abordate au constat în chestiuni generale privind medierea, rolul medierii în litigiile de familie, aspectele transfrontaliere ale medierii, cu accent special pe Directiva 2008/52/EC privind unele aspecte ale medierii în materie civilă şi comercială.
Proiectul a fost implementat de Curtea de Apel Craiova împreună cu 5 parteneri: Curtea de Apel Cluj (România), Curtea de Apel Timişoara (România), Tribunalul regional din Rijeka (Croaţia), Tribunalul din Sofia (Bulgaria) şi Asociaţia Differenza Donna în colaborare cu Tribunalul din Roma (Italia).