Oskar Pytka, a new intern at the European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR), is currently a full-time student at Coventry University in England. Living outside the borders of the homeland gives him the confidence needed to seek further international cooperation and opportunities for internships. Oskar uses his current knowledge and skills as a volunteer in…
DetailsOn the occasion of the Century of the Independence of Lithuania, the Embassy of Sweden in Lithuania together with the Embassy of Lithuania in Sweden, the Lithuanian Association of Local Governments and the Ombudsman’s service of the equal opportunities funded the Human Rights Award, to honour and motivate a person fighting for human rights, equality…
DetailsOn 7th of February, 2019, Court of Justice of the European Union has issued a judgment, stating that under EU law it is not necessary that a person pursue an activity as an employed person in a Member State in order to be entitled to family benefits in respect of his children living in another…
DetailsGranting Good Friday paid leave or holiday supplements only those workers belonging to a particular religion is discriminatory, according to The European Court of Justice. In the judgment of January 22nd of 2019, the Court finds that national legislation, under which, first, Good Friday is a public holiday only for employees who are members of…
Details2019 January 31 The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights delivered a judgment in the case of Rooman v. Belgium (application No 18052/11). The final judgment held that there have been violations of Articles 3 ((prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) and 5 (right to liberty and security) of the European Convention…
DetailsElisa is native to the south of France, and is a new volunteer at the EFHR for 5 months. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Modern Applied Languages (English and Spanish) with an emphasis in communication, she decided to start a Master’s degree in European studies and international relations. She also had the opportunity…
DetailsOn 31st of January this year The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language (VLKK) has adopted the act to abolish The List of Major Language Mistakes – an act adopted in 1997, that allows imposing financial penalties for non abidance of the basic linguistic standards. As stated in the Commission’s report, this decision does not…
DetailsKindergartens with Polish and Russian language accepted more children than there were applications received (according to the first priority). During the additional recruitment, children were accepted to additional and other (free) spots, that were declared last summer. According to statistics obtained from the Vilnius Municipality, from 500 applications received, 607 children were accepted to kindergarten…
DetailsEuropean Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR) constantly monitors job advertisements online and together with the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman’s Office have been fighting against discriminatory job offers. Unfortunately, no positive changes have been noted – still some of the employers discriminate on the basis of gender or age, which significantly decreases potential candidates’ chances for employment.…
DetailsOn 23rd January, the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania has issued a ruling on bilingual street signs. This ruling, therefore, resolved a long-lasting dispute between the Vilnius Municipality and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. In 2016, during the celebration of the Language Day, Mayor Remigijus Šimašius unveiled street signs in Polish (on Warsaw…
DetailsLawyers of the European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR) were invited to give a lecture to the students of John Paul II gymnasium on Wednesday, January 23rd of 2019 about human rights and hate speech on the Internet. They tackled the general fields and areas of the Foundation’s work regarding human rights and hate speech,…
DetailsIn 2014, the Constitutional Court noted that in some cases non-Lithuanian names and surnames can be registered not only by means of Lithuanian language characters but also by using characters of the Latin alphabet. Nevertheless, the current legislation states that in the official documents of citizens of Lithuania names and surnames are to be spelled…
DetailsOn 8th of January, 2019 Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities published recommendations regarding implementation of the Framework Convention for the protection of national minorities in Lithuania. The Advisory Committee‘s recommendations included, among others, remarks concerning negative attitudes against Roma community, original spelling of names and surnames, unified Lithuanian…
DetailsOn the 8th of January this year, the District Court of Vilnius City issued a decision regarding the original spelling of names and surnames. Judita Zavadzka, the Applicant, who at the beginning of 2018 has married Polish citizen, has turned to the Court after rejection from The Vilnius Registrar’s Office regarding the change of the…
DetailsStarting from January 2019, Lorena Mosharof is joining the European Foundation of Human Rights (EFHR) as an intern for 3 months. As a second year Master’s student of Communication and Anthropology with special focus on development and transnational issues at the University of Bonn in Germany, Lorena is particularly interested in post-Soviet studies and political…
DetailsOn 8th of December 2018 District Court of Vilnius City issued a decision regarding the original spelling of names and surnames. The Applicant married a citizen of Lichtenstein and took his surname “Marxer”. However, The Vilnius Registrar’s Office (USC) rejected the addition of the surname with “x” to the records. In the decision, the Court…
DetailsOn November 15th 2018, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) adjudicated a case no. C-648/17. The Court was asked to give a preliminary ruling on compulsory insurance and the usage of term “motor vehicles”. The case concerned the accident of two vehicles in which the passenger of the first one parked near supermarket and damaged…
DetailsOn December 10th of 2018, marking the International Human Rights Day, the National Forum on Human Rights (NFHR) was held in Vilnius for the first time. This year discussions focused on the theme of opportunities. During the Forum specialists of various fields disscused the situation of human rights in Lithuania, also welcomed the public to…
DetailsHuman Rights Day is celebrated every year on 10 December since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The ratification of the document enabled laws and policies to embrace human rights, which to this day made us freer. This year, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights marks its…
DetailsEvery year, on the 5th December, we celebrate the International Volunteer Day (IVD), an international observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. The aim of this day is to recognise the important role played by thousands of volunteers and organisations that every day dedicate their time, passion and skills to make the…
Details
