Switzerland court denies deportation of asylum seeker to Hungary News
Switzerland court denies deportation of asylum seeker to Hungary

Switzerland’s highest administrative court [official website] on Friday ruled to suspend the provisions of the Dublin Convention [text] in relation to Hungary because of humanitarian and legal concerns over conditions. Hungary has continually been sharply criticized for its harsh treatment of refugees. The court stated [SWI report] that the situation in Hungary is too insecure and argued that the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) [official website] was the only organization able to evaluate the asylum cases in Switzerland. Under the EU’s Dublin Convention, member states can return asylum seekers to the country where they first applied for protection. Switzerland is not an EU member state, but it is a signatory to the accord. This ruling concerns 202 people who have been refused asylum in Switzerland under Dublin accord provisions.

The refugee crisis in Europe has been one of the most significant humanitarian issues in the world. Last May a UNHCR press release urged [JURIST report] Greece to improve the living conditions in several of the refugee camps in the country. In April several aid organizations called on [JURIST report] EU leaders to stop deportations of migrants from Greece to Turkey and to stop detaining asylum seekers. Also in April Human Rights Watch reported [JURIST report] that the first deportation of 66 people from the Greek island of Chios to Turkey was “riddled with an array of irregularities.” Earlier in April 2016, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights advised [JURIST report] Turkey to focus on human rights in the wake of their anti-terrorism security measures.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.