Author: Validity Admin
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Three countries, three submissions: Validity contributes to the work of the UN Human Rights Committee concerning Czechia, Hungary and Moldova
Between December 2025 and February 2026, Validity submitted three written contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (the ‘Committee’) ahead of its 145th session, scheduled to take place from 2 to 19 March 2026. During the session, the Committee will consider the fourth periodic report of the Republic of Moldova, and is expected to…
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Securing the Right to Counsel: Overturning Guardianship Authority Restrictions
On 5 December 2025, our organisation won an important court case against the guardianship authority in Pest County, Hungary, reinforcing the right to independent oversight and effective access to justice for persons with disabilities. In its decision, the Budapest Environs Regional Court ruled that the authority acted unlawfully when it twice refused to allow our lawyers to meet with…
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Statement of the Global Coalition on Deinstitutionalization on adoption of the Global Charter on Care Reform for Children
The Global Coalition on Deinstitutionalization (GC-DI) welcomes the new Global Charter on Care Reform for Children, initiated by David Lammy (former UK Foreign Secretary, now Deputy Prime Minister) which brings focus and attention to the crisis caused by the institutionalization of children, with children with disabilities being disproportionately affected. We welcome that the Charter reaffirms…
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Committee of Ministers calls on Hungary to implement Validity Foundation on behalf of T.J. v. Hungary judgment of the European Court
In October 2024, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a groundbreaking judgment against Hungary. It found that Hungary had violated the right to life of a woman with disabilities who had lived for a long term locked in the notorious Topház institution – one of many across the country where over an estimated 22,000…
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Woman with Lived Experience of Institutionalisation Wins Landmark Case Against Psychiatric Hospital in Bulgaria
On 23 April 2025, a district court in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, awarded substantial damages to Tanya Petkova, a woman with psychosocial disabilities, for repeated periods of psychiatric detention and coercive practices violating her dignity and autonomy and for the trauma inflicted upon her. The decision is a rare judicial acknowledgment of the impacts of intersecting…
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Topház: European Court of Human Rights finds Hungary failed to protect right to life of residents, must investigate links between death and disability
In a ground-breaking judgment today, the European Court of Human Rights (“the Court”) condemned Hungary for failing to protect the lives of institutionalised persons with disabilities. States must effectively investigate the context and conditions in which people in institutions die, the Court also said. The judgment sends a strong message against institutionalisation and guardianship regimes…
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Topház: Az Emberi Jogok Európai Bírósága szerint Magyarország nem védte meg a lakók élethez való jogát; Magyarországnak vizsgálnia kell a fogyatékossággal élő személyek intézményi elhelyezése és ott bekövetkezett haláluk közötti összefüggéseket
Az Emberi Jogok Európai Bírósága („a Bíróság”) a mai napon közzétett úttörő ítéletében elítélte Magyarországot, amiért nem védte meg a fogyatékossággal élő, intézményben elhelyezett személyek életét. Az államoknak hatékonyan ki kell vizsgálniuk az intézményekben elhelyezett emberek halálának összefüggéseit és körülményeit – mondta ki a Bíróság. Az ítélet határozott üzenetet küld az intézményi és gondnoksági rendszerekkel…
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UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture follows the direction set by the CRPD Committee
In July 2024, the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) published its first-ever general comment on Article 4 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (places of deprivation of liberty). To effectively fulfil the legal obligations relating to torture prevention contained in the Optional Protocol, States are obliged to give access to…
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Bulgaria’s group homes: New report uncovers torture and ill-treatment of persons with disabilities
During the 17th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP17), the Validity Foundation and the Network of Independent Experts-NIE internationally launched a new monitoring report on torture and ill-treatment of persons with disabilities in Bulgarian institutions, including in small group homes. Having presented our new monitoring report…
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Zambia: Zambian authorities must implement the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ recommendations
A range of Zambian organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and other civil society organizations (CSOs) – who early in March this year made submissions to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Committee) ahead of its examination of Zambia’s compliance with and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights…