The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Belgium violated the rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses in failing to grant tax exemptions in a ruling Tuesday. The case of Assemblée Chrétienne Des Témoins de Jéhovah d’Anderlecht and Others v. Belgium concerned an application made by Jehovah’s Witnesses for being denied property tax exemptions. Under legislation [...]

Coca-Cola Monday announced they will not implement the controversial diversity requirements for external law firms working for the company following a backlash from their investors. The policy introduced in January 2021, set out that outside counsels would have to have 30% of their employees from diverse backgrounds, and half the billable time going to black lawyers [...]

The German Interior Ministry declared Monday that any individual who displays the pro-Putin letter “Z” would be liable for prosecution. The letter has been used in recent weeks to symbolize support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24. Displayed on Russian military tanks, it has been used as a means to [...]

The European Parliament and Council agreed to changes to the Digital Markets Act Thursday, ending anti-competitive behavior of big tech companies. The agreement introduced gatekeeper platforms, which would function as sanctions on the digital economy from market dominance constituting  EU competition law breaches. These so-called platforms would prohibit bundling services and self-preferencing practices of tech companies. The [...]

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) Friday confirmed that 549 Ukrainian civilians have been killed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The OHCHR said in a press statement that, among those who have been killed, 41 were children. A further 957 individuals have sustained injuries. The conflict that broke out on February 24 has subjected [...]

The High Court of Justice in London found Friday that the Metropolitan police breached organizers’ rights to protest in the way the police handled a planned vigil for Sarah Everand in 2021. Sarah Everand was a girl who was murdered in Clapham Common by police officer Wayne Couzens. Reclaim the Streets (RTS) held a vigil [...]

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) agreed with the European Commission (“the Commission”) Tuesday in ruling that the UK violated EU law by failing to apply effective customs control measures and owes the EU billions for failure to collect import fees in respect of certain imports of textiles and footwear from China. Some countries listened to [...]

Lithuania declared a state of emergency Thursday, in response to the “large military forces massed in Russia and Belarus,” hours after the invasion of Russia against Ukraine. Lithuania President Gitanas Nausėda announced that parliament has unanimously approved the state of emergency that will last for two weeks. He stated that there is a risk to [...]

The UK expanded the criteria its visa scheme Thursday to Hong Kong residents born after 1997, under the British National (Overseas) Immigration Route (BN(O)). In response to the new restrictive Chinese security measures introduced in Hong Kong in 2021, the Immigration Route allowed nearly 3 million people from Hong Kong to apply for a five-year [...]

Amnesty International Monday released a report attributing the “human rights catastrophe in 2021” to unequal vaccination distribution by pharmaceutical companies. The report revealed that major companies that produced the vaccinations used aggressive strategies to profit from the pandemic. Amnesty International issued a target for vaccination rollout to lower-income countries. However, it was found that Pfizer, Moderna, and [...]