Tag: torture and ill-treatment

Awaiting the conversations that will begin anew: Reflections on My Internship at the Validity Foundation (by Kim Woonyoung)

in Hungary, My Home, My Choice

I have reached the end of a precious year spent with the Validity Foundation. This piece is a brief record of the activities I participated in and the moments I witnessed during this short yet eventful year at Validity. It is also an attempt to reflect on what this experience meant to me as a…
Topház: European Court of Human Rights finds Hungary failed to protect right to life of residents, must investigate links between death and disability

in Hungary, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice

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…
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

in Hungary, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice

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…
UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture follows the direction set by the CRPD Committee

in My Home, My Choice

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…
Bulgaria’s group homes: New report uncovers torture and ill-treatment of persons with disabilities

in Bulgaria, My Home, My Choice

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…
Topház: Court rules Hungarian state authorities responsible for grave disability rights violations

in Hungary, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Press Release

The Budapest Capital Court today issued a judgment finding three state authorities responsible for multiple, grave violations of the rights of 220 adults and children with disabilities detained in the notorious Topház Social Care Home. Validity first exposed the shocking abuses in 2017, reporting on filthy living conditions, violence, torture and ill-treatment, malnutrition and the…
Czechia must adopt concrete steps towards deinstitutionalisation to prevent inherent risk of ill-treatment in institutions – Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights says

in Czech Republic, My Home, My Choice

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has published an eagerly anticipated report following her visit to Czechia in February 2023. Validity welcomes that the Commissioner’s report highlights key human rights violations experienced by persons with disabilities in Czechia. The Commissioner notes a lack of progress on abolishing guardianship measures applied to persons with…
Romania: Victims of Ilfov Must Receive Reparations and Redress – Public Letter of Concern to the Romanian Government and International Community

in Article, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Press Release, Romania

The following is an open letter on behalf of the Validity Foundation to the Government of Romania and international bodies concerning recent events in Romania (list of recipients below). On 4 July 2023, the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (Direcția de Investigare a Infracțiunilor de Criminalitate Organizată și Terorism, DIICOT) together with other…
UN Human Rights Committee condemns Bulgaria for seriously violating the rights to life, freedom from torture and ill-treatment, and respect for inherent dignity

in Bulgaria, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Uncategorised

On 15 March 2023, the Human Rights Committee, the United Nations body that monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by its States parties, issued a decision, so-called views, in communication No. 3171/2018 and condemned Bulgaria for violating the Covenant. The communication was drafted by lawyers of the Bulgarian Network…
Representing Victims of Torture with Disabilities

in Article, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, My Home, My Choice, Slovakia, Uganda, Uncategorised

A key cross-cutting objective for Validity is to contribute to the global push to end all forms of torture and ill-treatment faced by persons with disabilities. In this context, Validity works with partners to represent numerous victims with disabilities in Europe and Africa, with the strategic goals of ending disability-specific forms of torture, enhancing protections…