Russia: For first time Russia admits overcrowding and injustice in psychiatric hospital
After six years of litigation at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the Russian Government has admitted violations of our client, Rafael Usmanov’s rights. He was detained in an overcrowded secure psychiatric hospital and denied any opportunity of having his detention reviewed. It is the first… Read More
Duped, detained and drugged
Today, the European Court of Human Rights found that 55-year-old Jaroslav Červenka from the Czech Republic was deceived and wrongfully held in a social care institution for eight months (judgment here). Validity (formerly MDAC) calls on the Government to prohibit disability-based incarceration, and to evacuate the more… Read More
Polish Constitutional Court says stop segregating people with disabilities
The Polish Constitutional Court has ruled that laws allowing guardians to detain people in social care institutions without court’s supervision are unconstitutional. This landmark judgment should change the law for an estimated 12,500 people under guardianship living in institutions. In 2002, Mr Stanislaw Kędzior’s brother was his guardian and sent… Read More
Why won’t the Romanian government let 15-year-old Stefan go to school?
Stefan Stoian is a 15-year-old boy and lives in Bucharest, Romania. Because of his physical and learning disabilities, access to education was never easy. In 2011 his impairments got worse but the school Stefan was going to refused to make any adjustments to accommodate his disabilities, resulting in him not… Read More
Slovakia questioned at UN on institutions, education and rights of children with disabilities
Slovakia’s disability rights record was scrutinised by the UN’s disability expert committee this week. Validity (formerly MDAC) and Slovak NGOs sent information to the committee so that it could recommend to the Government to make progress on community-based services and make sure each child with disabilities gets an… Read More
Russia: landmark judgment on parenting rights for persons with disabilities
Today, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against the Russian Government in a Validity (formerly MDAC) case – Kocherov and Sergeyeva v. Russia. It is the first time in European legal history that stripping parental rights from a person with an intellectual disability has been found to breach… Read More
Regional African Treaty has Potential to “Strengthen Implementation” of Disability Rights on the Continent
Validity (formerly MDAC) has provided detailed recommendations to the African Commission on Humans and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) as it develops a regional Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa. The submission draws on Validity’s extensive research on the lives of people with mental disabilities in Kenya,… Read More
Russian woman with mental health issues takes fight to Strasbourg to challange guardianship
Validity (formerly MDAC) and lawyer, Dmitri Bartenev, have submitted legal arguments to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on behalf of Russian citizen, Lyudmila Shakulina, after she was placed under guardianship in an unfair procedure. Ms. Shakulina also seeks recognition and redress for involuntary detention authorised… Read More
All children have the right to inclusive education
Despite significant pressure from civil society and the international community, the Czech Republic still denies inclusive education to tens of thousands of children with disabilities and from the Roma community. Few steps have been taken and there continues to be a lack of understanding about how to achieve full inclusion… Read More
Why was a boy with autism repeatedly denied an inclusive education?
This month, MDAC and our partners at the League of Human Rights submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights on Jan’s behalf. The case challenges the Czech Republic’s denial of Jan’s right to an education on grounds of discrimination, and the refusal to provide him with… Read More
Challenging the denial of inclusive education for children with disabilities in Flanders
Read our press release about the launch of the collective complaint here On 25 April 2014, in partnership with the Flemish organisation Gelijke Rechten voor ledere Persoon met een handicap (Equal Rights for Each Person with a disability – ‘GRIP’), Validity (formerly MDAC) sent a collective… Read More