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Thursday, 7 June 2012

New Issue NQHR

The newest issue (vol. 30. no. 2, June 2012) of the SIM-based Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights includes two articles relating to the European Convention on Human Rights. In addition, it also features an overview of new ECHR developments under 'Human Rights News'. The two articles are:

* Michael Duttwiler, 'Authority, control and jurisdiction in the extraterritorial application of the European Convention on Human Rights'.
* Vladislava Stoyanova, 'Dancing on the borders of Article 4: human trafficking and the European Court of Human Rights in the Rantsev case'.

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

School Closure

School Closed again, Thursday 7 June as conditions are too dangerous.

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

New Articles on ECHR

A number of new academic articles on the European Convention have been published in the last few months. First, the International Journal on Minority and Group Rights includes the article 'The Strasbourg Court and minority groups: shooting in the dark or a new interpretive ethos?' by G. Pentassuglia (vol. 19, no. 1, 2012, pp.1-23).

Secondly, International Legal Materials features an introductory note to European Court of Human Rights (GC): Al-Jedda v. United Kingdom and Al-Skeini & Others v. United Kingdom, by A. Pradhan (vol. 50, no. 6, 2011, pp. 947-1050).

And finally, the George Washington International Law Review (vol. 43, no. 2, 2011/2012) includes two ECHR-related articles:

* W. Smith, 'Europe to the rescue: the killing of journalists in Russia and the European Court of Human Rights', pp.493-528.
* D. Ziegenfuss, 'Zingari or Italiani? Discrimination against Roma in Italy and the European Court of Human Rights', pp. 555-586.

Monday, 4 June 2012

HRW Expresses Concern on Selection Process Russian Judge

It had earlier escaped my attention, but thanks to a Russian colleague, I was notified that the NGO Human Rights Watch wrote a letter in April to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) regarding the selection procedure for candidates from the Russian Federation. In this letter it expressed its grave concern over the manner in which the national slection procedure had been conducted and asked PACE to send back the submitted list of three candidates. This is the full text of the letter:

We write to express concern about serious deficiencies in the selection procedure used to select candidates from the Russian Federation for election to the European Court of Human Rights. We believe the procedure used falls far short of the most recent set of Guidelines adopted by the Committee of Ministers on the selection of candidates for the post of judge at the European Court of Human Rights (CM(2012)40 final), adopted on March 29, 2012.

We understand that lists of candidates for the European Court of Human Rights submitted by Council of Europe member states are currently before your sub-committee for consideration. Human Rights Watch respectfully urges the sub-committee to return the list of applicants to the government of the Russian Federation to allow for a selection process that is fair, transparent, and in full accordance with the Committee of Minister’s guidelines.

As you may know, Human Rights Watch is an independent, non-partisan, international nongovernmental organization that researches and advocates on human rights issues worldwide. Human Rights Watch has maintained a presence in Moscow since 1991.

In February 2012, the Russian Federation forwarded a list of three candidates for election to the Court, two men and one woman. Although the Committee of Minister’s guidelines were adopted in March, as you know, they build on previous standards set out for states by the Parliamentary Assembly in the context of its responsibility for electing the judges. Human Rights Watch was very disappointed to learn the extent to which the selection process used by the Russian Federation fell short of the standards as have been effectively codified in the Committee of Minister’s guidelines.

First, the contest period in Russia was very brief, only one month, from July 1-August 1, 2011, a period during which many people take summer holidays. No justification was cited for holding the application period for such a short period. The guidelines call for a reasonable period of time for the submission of applications.

Secondly, the guidelines state that “the call for applications should be made widely available to the public, in such a manner that it could reasonably be expected to come to the attention of all or most of the potentially suitable candidates.” The Parliamentary Assembly’s 2004 Recommendation No. 1649 calls for the announcement of the competition to be published in specialized literature. Troublingly, the announcement was published in the specialized newspaper “The Newsletter of the Court of Human Rights,” in August 2011, only after the deadline for accepting applications had passed. The announcement was published in the print edition of the national newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta but the announcement did not appear in the online edition and many print subscribers received their copies only in mid-August, after the competition had closed.

Finally, there are some problems with the constitution of the commission empowered to select candidates. The Ministry of Justice issued a decree establishing a commission to select candidates, but the decree was never officially published and thus formally did not enter into force. The commission also failed to achieve a balanced composition. The commission, comprised of only men, did not achieve the gender balance envisioned by the guidelines. The commission was made up entirely of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the office of the Russian Representative at the European Court. It did not include any representatives from civil society organizations or the office of the Ombudsman.

Recalling the Parliamentary Assembly’s caution that “In order for the European Court of Human Rights to continue to inspire confidence, it is vital that the process by which judges are selected and appointed also inspire confidence,” it is clear that the procedure followed in the Russian Federation does not meet the standard. The Parliamentary Assembly has said that in the absence of a real choice among the candidates submitted by a state party to the Convention and in the absence of a fair, transparent and consistent national selection procedure, the Assembly may reject a list. We urge the sub-committee, in the interest of ensuring that all qualified candidates be given an opportunity to apply, and in order to protect confidence in the European Court, to take such a stand now and return the list of applicants to the Russian Federation.

Sincerely,

Hugh Williamson

Executive Director

Europe and Central Asia Division

Friday, 1 June 2012

Pretty Painted Pumpkins Free Tutorial by Alisa Burke

Looking for a little different kind of Fall decoration? If you are then please check out Alisa Burke's "Pretty Painted Pumpkins Tutorial." Enjoy.

pretty painted pumpkins tutorial

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: Living in Southern California it is a challenge for me to get into the spirit of traditional fall decor. Though it is raining today, typically this time of year is beautiful- like hang out at the beach beautiful! So when it comes to October/Halloween decor I like to create things that actually feel more summery and will go with the airy cottage feel of our home. I decided that this year I would create pretty little pumpkins in pastel colors full of detail and design.

Please respect Alisa's TERMS OF USE: I work really hard to come up with my art, tutorials, ideas, classes, inspiration and more. Please understand that everything I post on my blog is for your personal use only - not for resale or redistribution. Please contact me if you are interested in using anything that I share online-thank you!!!

For more information on Alisa's Terms of Use please CLICK HERE.

Alisa's Bio: Alisa Burke is a freelance painter and mixed media artist who studied fine art at Portland State University. With a background in painting and printmaking, a desire to explore and push materials, Alisa is always looking for new ways to break the rules and redefine art. She draws inspiration from street art, graffiti, art history and fashion and it is not uncommon to find her digging through the trash in hopes of recycling something unique use in her artwork.

Alisa’s paintings have been exhibited in a variety of galleries and her handmade, painted accessories are carried in a number of boutiques across the country. Her artwork has been featured in publications such as Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts, Where Women Create, Somerset Studios’ Haute Handbags, Art Doll Quarterly, and the University of San Diego Magazine. In addition to making art, Alisa teaches a variety of workshops nation wide. Alisa appeared as a guest artist on the DIY Network show Craft Lab and book Canvas Remix was released in spring 2008.

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke.

Please visit her Alisa Burke website at http://www.alisaburke.com and her Alisa Burke - Redefine Creativity blog at http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com. Her Alisa Burke Etsy shop is at http://alisaburke.etsy.com.

Last Minute Fall Leaves Centerpiece and Paper Leaves Fall Wreath Free Tutorials by Alisa Burke

As mentioned previously I LOVE decorating for Fall and Alisa Burke has two wonderful ideas for Fall decorating - wonderful and colorful Fall centerpiece and a wonderful and colorful Fall wreath. I'm definitely going to have to try both of these. How about you?

last minute felt leaves centerpiece

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: I needed some last minute decorations for the weekend and while it would have been really easy to just make a trip to Target, I decided to put more of my felt scraps to use to make a colorful, free form, felt leaves centerpiece for our table.

paper leaves fall wreath tutorial

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: We are heading into my favorite time of year- fall and then winter- and I have SO many fun ideas and tutorials to share! If you are a regular reader then you know that I love coming up with unique wreaths to celebrate seasons and holidays. Since we are already into October (can you believe it?) I am kicking off my fall tutorials and inspiration with a simple and sweet idea that makes use of the most accessible supplies.

Please respect Alisa's TERMS OF USE: I work really hard to come up with my art, tutorials, ideas, classes, inspiration and more. Please understand that everything I post on my blog is for your personal use only - not for resale or redistribution. Please contact me if you are interested in using anything that I share online-thank you!!!

For more information on Alisa's Terms of Use please CLICK HERE.

Alisa's Bio: Alisa Burke is a freelance painter and mixed media artist who studied fine art at Portland State University. With a background in painting and printmaking, a desire to explore and push materials, Alisa is always looking for new ways to break the rules and redefine art. She draws inspiration from street art, graffiti, art history and fashion and it is not uncommon to find her digging through the trash in hopes of recycling something unique use in her artwork.

Alisa’s paintings have been exhibited in a variety of galleries and her handmade, painted accessories are carried in a number of boutiques across the country. Her artwork has been featured in publications such as Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts, Where Women Create, Somerset Studios’ Haute Handbags, Art Doll Quarterly, and the University of San Diego Magazine. In addition to making art, Alisa teaches a variety of workshops nation wide. Alisa appeared as a guest artist on the DIY Network show Craft Lab and book Canvas Remix was released in spring 2008.

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke.

Please visit her Alisa Burke website at http://www.alisaburke.com and her Alisa Burke - Redefine Creativity blog at http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com. Her Alisa Burke Etsy shop is at http://alisaburke.etsy.com.

Sketchbook Pumpkins Free Tutorial by Alisa Burke

Fall is my favorite season so I'm always looking for wonderful and colorful ways to decorate my home. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find Alisa Burke had a wonderful tutorial for creating sketchbook pumpkins. I'll definitely have to give this a try.

sketchbook pumpkins

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: It's no secret that sketching is a big part of my daily creative routine and this year I decided that I would use that concept in my fall pumpkin decorating. I am not big on traditional jack o'lanterns and I always like to find unique ways to decorate pumpkins and gourds.

Please respect Alisa's TERMS OF USE: I work really hard to come up with my art, tutorials, ideas, classes, inspiration and more. Please understand that everything I post on my blog is for your personal use only - not for resale or redistribution. Please contact me if you are interested in using anything that I share online-thank you!!!

For more information on Alisa's Terms of Use please CLICK HERE.

Alisa's Bio: Alisa Burke is a freelance painter and mixed media artist who studied fine art at Portland State University. With a background in painting and printmaking, a desire to explore and push materials, Alisa is always looking for new ways to break the rules and redefine art. She draws inspiration from street art, graffiti, art history and fashion and it is not uncommon to find her digging through the trash in hopes of recycling something unique use in her artwork.

Alisa’s paintings have been exhibited in a variety of galleries and her handmade, painted accessories are carried in a number of boutiques across the country. Her artwork has been featured in publications such as Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts, Where Women Create, Somerset Studios’ Haute Handbags, Art Doll Quarterly, and the University of San Diego Magazine. In addition to making art, Alisa teaches a variety of workshops nation wide. Alisa appeared as a guest artist on the DIY Network show Craft Lab and book Canvas Remix was released in spring 2008.

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke.

Please visit her Alisa Burke website at http://www.alisaburke.com and her Alisa Burke - Redefine Creativity blog at http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com. Her Alisa Burke Etsy shop is at http://alisaburke.etsy.com.