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Pascua Lama Case

Diaguita communities and individuals living in the Huasco river's high basin, in the Atacama region of Chile, filed an action to protect constitutional rights against Compañía Minera Nevada SpA (a subsidiary of Canada-based Barrick Gold) and the Comisión de Evaluación Ambiental (Chile's government agency dealing with environmental issues).

Sudama Singh & ORs v. Govt. Of Delhi & ORS, Maya Devi & Ors. vs Govt of Dehi, Majnu vs. Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and Mukundi Lal Chauhan & Ors. vs. Municipal Corporation of Delhi

The petitioners, members of a nomadic tribal community called Gadia Lohar, migrated from Rajasthan to New Delhi in 1965 and settled in slum clusters (“jhuggies”) in a New Delhi locality known as Gadia Lohar Basti (or Prem Nagar). They had lived in the locality for over 40 years when their huts were demolished and they contended that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and the Slum Department violated their right to shelter, when they did not provide for their relocation to settlements with basic facilities. Respondents alleged tha

Shri Bodhisattwa Gautam v. Miss Subhra Chakraborty

Miss Chakraborty, in a criminal complaint, alleged that she began an affair in April 1989 with Chakraborty while he was a lecturer and she was a student at Baptist College in Kohima, Nagaland. She asserted Gautam professed his love and deceived her into sexual intercourse with false assurances that he would marry her after receiving his parents’ consent.

Bayer Corporation and Anr v. Union of India & Ors

In March 2008, Bayer HealthCare LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, was granted a subject patent by India’s Patent Office, pursuant to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 (DCA) and Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945 (DCR), for “sorafenib tosylate” (ST), commonly prescribed for treatment of advanced renal cancer. Bayer HealthCare LLC subsequently assigned its titles to the patented drug in India to Bayer Corporation (“Bayer”).

South Africa: Stop the murders, detentions and threats against shack dwellers

On 10 October, 2013, ESCR-Net sent an Urgent Action appeal in response to the recent murders, arbitrary detentions, intimidation and threats against leaders of the shack-dweller movement and ESCR-Net member, Abahlali baseMjondolo and called on the Government of South Africa to uphold its human rights obligations.

Ramakant Rai v. Union of India, W.P ( C) No 209 of 2003

The petition in this public interest litigation (PIL) case cited data from the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra, regarding government practices regarding female sterilization, which lacked counseling or informed consent, lacked pre- and post-operative care, and included unhygienic and un-anesthetized operating conditions, sterilization of minors, coercion and cruelty. The PIL requested the Court to direct the state governments to comply with the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Guidelines on Standards of Female Sterilization, enacted in October 1999 (“the Guidelines”).

Case of the Sawhoyamaxa Indigenous Community v. Paraguay

The Sawhoyamaxa Community has historically lived in the Paraguayan Chaco. In 1991, the Community started a domestic claim to regain its lands after being forced to leave them. On May 15th, 2001, ESCR-Net Member, Tierraviva, submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. The Commission referred the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on February 3rd, 2005.

The Case of Keenan v. the United Kingdom (Application no. 27229/95)

Mark Keenan received intermittent psychiatric treatment since the age of 21. At 28, Keenan was admitted to prison, initially to the prison health center. Several attempts were made to transfer him to the general population, but his mental health worsened each time. Following a transfer attempt, he assaulted two guards and his sentence was increased by twenty-eight days. The next day Keenan hung himself.

Patricia Asero Ochieng and 2 Others v. the Attorney General & Another

Three Kenyan citizens using generic anti-retroviral medications and living with HIV or AIDS challenged the constitutionality of Kenya’s Anti-Counterfeit Act of 2008. The petitioners argued that Section 2 of the Act confused generic drugs with counterfeit medicine and if implemented, the Act would inflict civil and criminal penalties on generic medicine manufacturers and severely restrict access to affordable medicine in Kenya.

Peru: Stop the loss of lives during anti-mining protests

On July 11, 2012, ESCR-Net transmitted a communication to the Government of Peru to request urgent action to protect the human rights of people protesting the Conga gold mine after five people lost their lives in the week of July 3.