Czech Centre for Human Rights and Democracy

The Centre is an independent academic institution monitoring human rights developments both domestically and worldwide, issuing a monthly Bulletin, as well as organizing conferences.

7. 11. 2022   Matyáš Dvořák

In September 2022, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, addressed the UN Security Council as the first Czech in almost thirty years. In his speech, he strongly condemned Russian aggression against a sovereign state, expressed dismay at the crimes committed, mentioned the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and called on the international community to establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression. The establishment of such a tribunal is supported and called for by other international actors. What are the current prospects for its creation? And are there other mechanisms to pursue justice?

17. 10. 2022   Jana Vidláková

In a recent dispute between parents and a hospital over the continuation of their sons life-sustaining treatment, the British courts ruled that ending the treatment was in the childs best interests. In all cases involving children, the best interests of the child must be the primary consideration. However, can such best interests include the termination of life-sustaining treatment and the subsequent death of the child? According to the European Court of Human Rights, Member States should enjoy a wide margin of appreciation in this field. 

15. 8. 2022   Terézia Lazarová

The Supreme Court of the United States has recently overturned the decades-old Roe v. Wade judgment protecting the right to abortion on a federal level. The final decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has created an uproar and resulted in international protests and media attention from both sides of the spectrum. While some are celebrating the salvation of the lives of unborn babies, others are mourning the lives yet to be lost. The lives of pregnant people from various backgrounds who might die as a result of unwanted pregnancy or an illegal unsafe abortion.

4. 7. 2022   Anna Kačmaříková

The issue of climate change resonates in all areas of human life, and the legal world is no different. Although climate litigation is not a novelty, it is within the last three years that it has become an issue for the highest European courts to address - i.e., the issue of a human rights approach to environmental litigation. What are the current trends in this area?

19. 5. 2022   Eliška Andrš

At the end of March, President von der Leyen and President Biden announced a new deal on data transfers between the EU and the U.S. The announcement comes less than two years after Privacy Shield, the successor of the Safe Harbor agreement, was struck down by the Court of Justice of the European Union for its insufficient safeguards in regard to data protection.

19. 5. 2022   Marie Gavendová

On 24 February 2022, Vladimir Putin announced his decision ‘to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine to protect people who have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime’. How do these bold statements correlate with the situation on the ground and with public international law?

11. 4. 2022   Iva Turanová

In November, the seventh general assembly of the World Uyghur Congress took place. Representatives of the Uyghur minority elected new leadership and condemned China's actions in Xinjiang. The assembly took place in Prague, yet the organizers faced trouble finding a place to host the event.