Ecrthr case summaries

ECtHR - Hode and Abdi v. the United Kingdom, Application No. 22341/09
Country of applicant: Djibouti, Somalia

The case concerns discrimination against a refugee and his post-flight wife in the enjoyment of their right to family life because she was not allowed to join him in the UK. This was owed to more restrictive rules for the reunification of the spouses of refugees in comparison to workers or students, or to refugees married at the time of the flight.

Date of decision: 06-02-2013
Moxamed Ismaaciil and Abdirahman Warsame v Malta, Application nos. 52160/13 and 52165/13, 12 January 2013
Country of applicant: Somalia

The holding of two Somali nationals in a Maltese detention centre is declared not to be a violation of Article 3 of the Convention; the cumulative effect of the conditions of detention did not amount to inhuman treatment.  The Court accepted that the detention, although lengthy, fell within Article 5 (1) (f). However, the Court declares a violation of Article 5 (4) as the applicants did not have access to judicial review of the decision to detain them, hence they could not challenge the lawfulness of detention. 

Date of decision: 12-01-2013
ECtHR- Singh and Others v. Belgium, Application no. 33210/11, 2 January 2013
Country of applicant: Afghanistan

The case examined the allegations of the applicants that their deportation to Moscow will entail a real risk of refoulement to Afghanistan where they fear treatment contrary to Article 3 of the Convention.  Further, it examined the applicants’ complaints of a violation of their right to an effective remedy in conjunction with Article 3, invoking Article 13 of the Convention.

Date of decision: 02-01-2013
ECtHR - De Souza Ribeiro v France [GC], Application No. 22689/07
Country of applicant: Brazil

The case concerns the removal of a Brazilian national residing in French Guiana (a French overseas département-région) and his inability to challenge the measure before its enforcement.

Date of decision: 13-12-2012
ECtHR- Mahmundi and others v. Greece, 14902/10, 24 October 2012
Country of applicant: Afghanistan

The case examined the allegations of five Afghan nationals that their detention conditions in Pagani detention centre were in violation of Article 3 of the Convention, that they did not have access to an effective remedy (Article 13) and that they were deprived of their liberty and security as well as of their right to have the lawfulness of their detention decided speedily by a Court (Article 5 para 4). 

Date of decision: 24-10-2012
ECtHR - Hendrin Ali Said and Aras Ali Said v. Hungary, Application No. 13457/11
Country of applicant: Iraq

The case concerned complaints under Article 5 § 1 by asylum

seekers staying at the Debrecen Reception Centre for Refugees (Hungary) about the unlawfulness of their detention – without effective judicial review – pending the outcome of their asylum claims.

Date of decision: 23-10-2012
ECtHR - Al-Tayyar Abdelhakim v. Hungary, Application No. 13058/11
Country of applicant: Lebanon, Palestinian Territory

The case concerns an asylum seeker’s complaint under Article 5(1) about the unlawfulness of his detention without effective judicial review, pending the outcome of his asylum claim.

Date of decision: 23-10-2012
ECtHR- Labsi v. Slovakia, Application no. 33809/08, 24 September 2012
Country of applicant: Algeria

The European Court of Human Rights held that the expulsion of an Algerian national from Slovakia to Algeria, in contempt of an interim measure issued by the Court, was in violation of Articles 3, 13 and 34 of the Convention.

Date of decision: 24-09-2012
ECtHR - Ahorugeze v Sweden, Application No. 37075/09
Country of applicant: Rwanda

The case concerned an applicant who was to be extradited to Rwanda to stand trial on charges of genocide. He challenged the extradition on the grounds that it would violate Articles 3 and 6 of the Convention.

Date of decision: 04-06-2012
ECtHR - Othman (Abu Qatada) v. the United Kingdom, Application No. 8139/09
Country of applicant: Afghanistan, Jordan

The case concerns a recognised as a refugee in the United Kingdom, who was to be deported in the interests of national security to Jordan. The UK Government obtained assurances from Jordan that he would not be subjected to ill-treatment and would be tried fairly by the Jordanian State Security Court. However the applicant alleged that, if deported to Jordan, he would be at real risk of ill-treatment and an unfair trial.

Date of decision: 09-05-2012