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The Star
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Europe's top rights court rules against France in racial profiling case
FILE PHOTO: The building of the European Court of Human Rights is seen in Strasbourg, France, September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/ File Photo PARIS (Reuters) -Europe's top human rights court ruled on Thursday that French police had carried out discriminatory checks on a Frenchman of African descent, the first such verdict in a case of racial profiling brought against France. The French government "failed to provide objective and reasonable justification" for the police carrying out three identity checks on Karim Touil within the space of 10 days in 2011 in the city centre of Besancon, the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said in its ruling. The court ordered France to pay Touil 3,000 euros ($3,512) for violating articles 14 and 8, on discrimination and the right to a private life, of the European Human Rights Convention. However, for five other applicants in the case, also young men of African descent, the court found there was no discrimination due to lack of evidence, noting that the ID checks had mostly taken place "against a backdrop of tension". While welcoming Touil's successful claim, Lanna Hollo, a rights advocate with French organisation RECLAIM, who has been involved in the case for 13 years, said the court's reasoning risked reinforcing discrimination in certain zones. "It fails to sufficiently protect all people in all parts of the territory - especially those living in France's poorer neighbourhoods with high visible minority populations," she said. In recent years the court has issued rulings against Germany and Switzerland over discriminatory police checks. A study published on Tuesday by France's human rights watchdog found that young Black men or those perceived as Arab or North African were four times more likely to be stopped by police and 12 times more likely to undergo "extensive" checks, involving being body-searched or taken to the police station. ($1 = 0.8542 euros) (Reporting by Layli ForoudiEditing by Gareth Jones)
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Europe's top rights court rules against France in racial profiling case
FILE PHOTO: The building of the European Court of Human Rights is seen in Strasbourg, France, September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/ File Photo PARIS - Europe's top human rights court ruled on Thursday that French police had carried out discriminatory checks on a Frenchman of African descent, the first such verdict in a case of racial profiling brought against France. The French government "failed to provide objective and reasonable justification" for the police carrying out three identity checks on Karim Touil within the space of 10 days in 2011 in the city centre of Besancon, the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said in its ruling. The court ordered France to pay Touil 3,000 euros ($3,512) for violating articles 14 and 8, on discrimination and the right to a private life, of the European Human Rights Convention. However, for five other applicants in the case, also young men of African descent, the court found there was no discrimination due to lack of evidence, noting that the ID checks had mostly taken place "against a backdrop of tension". While welcoming Touil's successful claim, Lanna Hollo, a rights advocate with French organisation RECLAIM, who has been involved in the case for 13 years, said the court's reasoning risked reinforcing discrimination in certain zones. "It fails to sufficiently protect all people in all parts of the territory - especially those living in France's poorer neighbourhoods with high visible minority populations," she said. In recent years the court has issued rulings against Germany and Switzerland over discriminatory police checks. A study published on Tuesday by France's human rights watchdog found that young Black men or those perceived as Arab or North African were four times more likely to be stopped by police and 12 times more likely to undergo "extensive" checks, involving being body-searched or taken to the police station. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
IOL News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Trans women barred from women's football by English, Scottish FAs
NEW RULING The FA and Scottish FA banned transgender women from women's football following the UK Supreme Court ruling, citing fairness and safety concerns, with new regulations effective from June 1 and the 2025/26 season, respectively. Photo by: Vincent Kessler Image: Vincent Kessler Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women's football from June 1, England's governing Football Association announced Thursday. The FA said it had updated its policy following last month's UK Supreme Court ruling regarding the Equality Act. The Scottish Football Association said Thursday it would also implement a similar ban from the start of its 2025/26 season. These new rule changes will apply to all women's football at amateur and professional levels in both countries. FA Revises Transgender Policy Following Supreme Court Ruling The English FA's transgender inclusion policy had been updated just before the Supreme Court ruling, and continued to allow transgender women to play in women's football provided they reduced testosterone levels. Those rule changes gave the FA discretion on whether to allow a trans woman to play, with consideration given to issues of safety and fairness. Now though, the FA has redrawn its policy and barred trans women from the women's game after the Supreme Court, the UK's highest court, ruled the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person's sex at birth and does not include transgender women who hold a gender recognition certificate. "We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game," the FA said in a statement. Scottish FA Restricts Women's Football to Biological Females from 2025/26 Season In a separate announcement, the SFA said: "As a gender-affected sport, the Scottish FA board has determined that from the start of season 2025/26 only biological females will be permitted to play in competitive girls' and women's football which is governed by the Scottish FA." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'Fairness and safety' Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at the charity Sex Matters, welcomed the ruling at the time, saying it was crucial for fairness and safety. "The judges mentioned fairness in sport," she told Britain's Press Association. "The law was always clear that everyone male can be excluded to provide fair, safe sport for women and girls, but some people claimed it was unkind or complicated to do so. "It's neither of those -- it's essential for fairness and safety for everyone female." Transgender participation has become a hot issue as different sports try to balance inclusivity with ensuring fair competition. International governing bodies in a number of sports including cycling, swimming and athletics have tightened policies to effectively ban transgender competitors, in some cases amid fears of possible legal action should a biological woman be injured by a trans competitor.
