Latest news with #EuropeanCourtofHumanRights
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
European court says France has right to fine presidential portrait snatchers
Europe's top human rights court on Thursday, July 3 ruled France was within its rights to hand suspended fines to climate activists over stealing official portraits of the president from town halls to demonstrate in 2019. Eleven protesters had filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, arguing France had impeded their right to freedom of expression. But the ECHR found that France had not interfered with the activists expressing themselves, and that the judicial proceedings could in fact be considered "part of their communication strategy." The suspended fines of €200 to €500 had been among the "most lenient sanctions possible" and therefore not disproportionate, the court, based in the French city of Strasbourg, added. All town halls in France display the president's portrait, with Emmanuel Macron's showing him perched on the edge of his desk with two mobile phones and the memoirs of French resistance hero and post-war president Charles de Gaulle behind him. The group behind the 2019 portrait thefts, Non-Violent Action COP21 (ANV-COP21), claimed some 130 pictures had been stolen across France that year. They said it was their "moral duty" to act in the face of what they called the inaction of Macron's government on climate change. The 11 plaintiffs in the ECHR case had exhausted all legal avenues in France, from lower courts to the supreme court, in three separate cases after stealing portraits in Paris and two other locations in eastern France. However, France's highest court has, since the 2019 incident, changed its position. In 2023, it approved the acquittal of another group of activists over stealing the president's picture, arguing it had not been an attack on his dignity and that climate change was a subject of "general interest." It added that the official images of Macron were only worth €8.90, frame not included. Other defendants have since been acquitted in similar cases. Critics had targeted Macron's portrait before 2019. In October 2017, mayors in the central Creuse region turned his picture around so that Macron faced the wall, to protest cuts to local government budgets and job losses.
France 24
7 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Europe court says France allowed to fine president portrait snatchers
Eleven protesters had filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, arguing France had impeded their right to freedom of expression. But the ECHR found that France had not interfered with the activists expressing themselves, and that the judicial proceedings could in fact be considered "part of their communication strategy". The suspended fines of 200 to 500 euros ($230 to $590) had been among the "most lenient sanctions possible" and therefore not disproportionate, the court based in the French city of Strasbourg added. All town halls in France display the president's portrait, with Emmanuel Macron's showing him perched on the edge of his desk with two mobile phones and the memoirs of French resistance hero and post-war president Charles de Gaulle behind him. The group behind the 2019 portrait thefts, Non-Violent Action COP21 (ANV-COP21), claimed some 130 pictures had been stolen across France that year. They said it was their "moral duty" to act in the face of what they called the inaction of Macron's government on climate change. The 11 plaintiffs in the ECHR case had exhausted all legal avenues in France, from lower courts to the supreme court, in three separate cases after stealing portraits in Paris and two other locations in eastern France. France's highest court has since the 2019 incident however changed its position. In 2023, it approved the acquittal of another group of activists over stealing the president's picture, arguing it had not been an attack on his dignity and that climate change was a subject of "general interest". It added that the official images of Macron were only worth 8.90 euros ($10), frame not included. Other defendants have since been acquitted in similar cases. Critics had targeted Macron's portrait before 2019. In October 2017, mayors in the central Creuse region turned his picture around so that Macron faced the wall, to protest cuts to local government budgets and job losses. © 2025 AFP
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Child snatch murder plot suspects fail at 'human rights' bid to remain in Scotland
US citizens Valerie Hayes, Gary Reburn and Jennifer Amnott were found living in Glasgow in 2018 - as the FBI identified them as suspected of being behind a plot to kidnap five children and kill their parents. Three US citizens wanted over a horror child snatch murder plot have failed at another bid to remain in Scotland. Valerie Hayes, Gary Reburn and Jennifer Amnott were found living in Glasgow in 2018 - after the FBI identified them as suspected of being behind a plot to kidnap five children and kill their parents. But the trio have remained in Scottish prisons for almost seven years as they battle to stay in the country - claiming they face an unfair sentence if convicted in the States. On Tuesday morning, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg dismissed claims that their extradition would violate their human rights. The court said there would be no breach on account of 'the risk that if convicted they would receive a sentence of life imprisonment without parole' or because a mandatory life sentence would be 'grossly disproportionate'. It said in a judgement: 'The decision of the US Congress to punish such acts with the most severe punishment available - being a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment - therefore falls well within the boundaries of 'legitimate and reasonable differences between States'.' But Hayes, Reburn and Amnott may still remain in Scotland for some time as a block has been put on their extradition until the European court agrees to any request made to refer their case to the court's Grand Chamber - where cases can take up to three years to conclude. Such requests are accepted on an 'exceptional basis'. We revealed last month that the trio have already cost the public purse £1million in legal aid fees and estimated prisoner costs. US prosecutors say Jennifer Amnott and her husband, Frank met Hayes in 2015. The Amnotts were said to be desperate to start a family and Hayes told them that she had three children who had been 'captured' and were in the custody of two Mennonite families in West Virginia. She allegedly told the Amnotts that if they helped her to recover her children they could keep one of the Mennonite families' two other children. Reburn was Hayes' boyfriend. Together the two couples allegedly formed a plan which involved carrying out surveillance on the houses of the two Mennonite families; obtaining firearms; achieving armed entry to the two houses; securing the five children; and murdering their four parents by shooting them in the head. On July 28, 2018 Hayes and Reburn are said to have travelled with Frank Amnott from Maryland to Virginia, while Jennifer Amnott remained in Maryland. The next day Hayes, Reburn and Frank Amnott allegedly entered the home of the first Mennonite family while they were at church. They returned after dark, with Reburn and Frank Amnott carrying firearms, and forced their way inside the house. The allegations state the father was held in the basement at gunpoint by frank Amnott but the mother escaped and called police. Hayes and Reburn allegedly managed to escape and fled to Scotland with Jennifer Amnott. In 2019, Frank Amnott, who was found at the scene, pled guilty to a string of charges and is yet to face sentence. Hayes, Jennifer Amnott and Reburn's appeals against extradition were previously thrown out of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court in London. In 2023, the case was sent to the European Court of Human Rights. The US Department of Justice had stated that if they were convicted of every single charge, the minimum possible sentence would be a sentence of life imprisonment plus twenty-eight years. But it said they would have the opportunity to 'attack the charges and have some or all of them dismissed' as well as having the opportunity to reduce a life sentence. But a 2023 letter further offered a plea deal. The judgement said: 'In this letter the US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia indicated that the applicants would be offered a plea bargain to offences other than the one carrying a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, thereby allowing them to avoid facing this mandatory sentence. Furthermore, they could seek to reduce their sentence by cooperating with law enforcement and providing assistance to ongoing investigative and procedural efforts.' It added there would be 'multiple review mechanisms in place' allowing the US authorities to consider the applicants' progress towards rehabilitation or any other ground for release, mainly compassionate release and executive clemency, known as a state pardon. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Lawyers for the three said 'no formal intimation of the detail of any such plea bargain' had been received during the appeal process. The EHCR judgment will not become final, and a block on extradition will remain in place, until a decision is made on whether the case should go to the Grand Chamber, within three months. The Record has contacted lawyers for the three accused for comment. The Scottish Government previously said it is 'inappropriate for Scottish Ministers or officials to comment on individual cases'.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Irish politicians attend huge banned Budapest Pride event as Victor Orbán threatens ‘legal consequences' to marchers
They were among a record number of people expected to attend the event, despite Mr Orbán threatening there would be 'legal consequences' for organisers and attendees. More than 100,000 people are thought to have attended the event which saw large parts of central Budapest overtaken by the movement. Mr O'Gorman and MEPs Maria Walsh and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú were in the crowd marching through the Hungarian capital today. Those in attendance 'face the possibility of arrest, a fine of up to €500 and imprisonment of up to one year under Hungarian law,' said Ms Walsh, who urged any Irish citizens intending on travelling to Budapest to be on 'high alert'. The Fine Gael MEP described the decision to ban Pride marches in Hungary as a 'frightening step backwards for members of the LGBTQI+ community across Europe'. 'I am proud to be marching in Budapest Pride this weekend. In a year when Orbán has classified public displays of love within my own community as a child protection issue, we must all fight back." The Hungarian government enacted a hugely controversial so-called 'child protection' law in 2021 that prohibits the "depiction or promotion' of homosexuality to children under the age of 18. A bill was also passed by the parliament that makes it illegal to hold any public gatherings that breached that law, with further legislation effectively banning Pride events. The European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled in a case involving Russia that banning such events breaches human rights protections. Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who will attend the march today, described the banning of Pride as a 'blatant attack on our civil liberties with the European Union'. She backed calls for the European Commission to intervene, including requesting interim measures in the ongoing infringement procedure against Hungary's 2021 anti-LGBTQ+ law. "The Hungarian Government's repeated violations of the rule of law and EU treaty principles is setting a dangerous precedent.' Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who was in Hungary for a conference earlier this week, said the atmosphere in Budapest has been 'tense' in the days ahead of the march. He told RTÉ's Drivetime that while he expects Hungarian authorities will not use 'batons and tear gas on tens of thousands of people' as 'the world would see that', the Green Party mayor of the city could be prosecuted and facial recognition technology will be used to identify attendees and fine them. "This is very oppressive, this is all contrary to European law, by the way, so I think there's a role for the European Union to play here in overturning some of these laws.' It comes as tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in Dublin's Pride parade today.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Irish politicians to attend banned Budapest Pride event as Victor Orbán threatens participants with ‘legal consequences'
They will be among a record number of people expected to attend the event, despite Mr Orbán threatening there would be 'legal consequences' for organisers and attendees. Mr O'Gorman and MEPs Maria Walsh and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú will in the crowd marching through the Hungarian capital today. Former Taoiseach Leo Varadar is also set to take part in the parade. Those in attendance 'face the possibility of arrest, a fine of up to €500 and imprisonment of up to one year under Hungarian law,' said Ms Walsh, who urged any Irish citizens intending on travelling to Budapest to be on 'high alert'. The Fine Gael MEP described the decision to ban Pride marches in Hungary as a 'frightening step backwards for members of the LGBTQI+ community across Europe'. 'I am proud to be marching in Budapest Pride this weekend. In a year when Orbán has classified public displays of love within my own community as a child protection issue, we must all fight back." The Hungarian government enacted a hugely controversial so-called 'child protection' law in 2021 that prohibits the "depiction or promotion' of homosexuality to children under the age of 18. A bill was also passed by the parliament that makes it illegal to hold any public gatherings that breached that law, with further legislation effectively banning Pride events. The European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled in a case involving Russia that banning such events breaches human rights protections. Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who will attend the march today, described the banning of Pride as a 'blatant attack on our civil liberties with the European Union'. She backed calls for the European Commission to intervene, including requesting interim measures in the ongoing infringement procedure against Hungary's 2021 anti-LGBTQ+ law. ADVERTISEMENT "The Hungarian Government's repeated violations of the rule of law and EU treaty principles is setting a dangerous precedent.' Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the atmosphere in Budapest has been 'tense' in the days ahead of the march. He told RTÉ's Drivetime that while he expects Hungarian authorities will not use 'batons and tear gas on tens of thousands of people' as 'the world would see that', the Green Party mayor of the city could be prosecuted and facial recognition technology will be used to identify attendees and fine them. "This is very oppressive, this is all contrary to European law, by the way, so I think there's a role for the European Union to play here in overturning some of these laws.' It comes as tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in Dublin's Pride parade today.
