Minority Groups And Judicial Discourse In International Law

Set against previous stages of minority protection under international law, this book discusses the role of courts and court-like bodies – particularly in the Americas, Africa and Europe – in articulating and accommodating the interests and needs of ethno-cultural minority groups as part of the human rights discourse. Conceptually, it exposes different moments of intervention by such bodies involving the recognition of group existence or identity, the adjustment of human rights norms to accommodate the group’s perspectives, the establishment of processes designed to address the complexities resulting from competing claims, and the expansion of procedural avenues within litigation. The result is a fresh comparative – practical and theoretical – perspective on international jurisprudence as an emerging distinctive component in the complex history of the field.

This volume examines minority protection in international law. Its task is twofold: to examine existing methods of minority protection, and to analyse the underlying justifications of minority protection as reflected in international legal standards and discourse. Part I outlines the theoretical framework; Part II addresses minority protection and its justifications in the League of Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the United Nations. Finally, the author argues that it is possible to develop a working holistic approach to minority protection combining protection of peace, human dignity and culture.

Set against previous stages of minority protection under international law, this book discusses the role of courts and court-like bodies, particularly in the Americas, Africa and Europe in articulating and accommodating the interests and needs of ethno-cultural minority groups as part of the human rights discourse. Conceptually, it exposes different moments of intervention by such bodies involving the recognition of group existence or identity, the adjustment of human rights norms to accommodate the group's perspectives, the establishment of processes designed to address the complexities resulting from competing claims, and the expansion of procedural avenues within litigation. The result is a fresh comparative practical and theoretical perspective on international jurisprudence as an emerging distinctive component in the complex history of the field.

This book, the first in the series of publications on minority issues, provides a critical overview of the protection of minority groups in international law. Topics covered include: the definition of a minority, concepts of state sovereignty and self-determination; the historical context to international human rights law; the legal frameworks developed by the UN, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the EU; as well as examples of legal approaches adopted by individual European countries to address the protection of minorities.

The revival of group consciousness in Eastern European countries in the wake of the Cold War has put the protection of subnational groups high on the political agenda. The present book bears witness to the renewed interest in the legal position of subnational groups in international law. This book and the Conference, at which provisional versions of most of the contributions were presented, originate in perceived deficiencies of contemporary international law to protect subnational groups within a legal framework of which the principal subjects are states. Divided into three parts, the book commences with an analysis of the antagonistic relation between the right of peoples to self-determination and the right of states to territorial integrity, and the need to redefine these concepts in the post-Cold War era. The book continues with the highly controversial issue of the attribution of rights to subnational groups and the identification of subnational groups which would be entitled to such rights. The second part deals with the identification and protection of peoples and minorities at different levels of organization, viz. subnational, national and supranational. This part is followed by an analysis of the modes and means by which international obligations vis-à-vis subnational groups can be enforced. Not only the judicial means are considered, but also the justifiability of recourse to military means to the cause of subnational groups. This book not only provides an in-depth analysis of contemporary international law with respect to the protection of peoples and minorities, but also of the law as it is developing in the post-Cold War era.

This publication contains information on the statements and judgements made in minority rights court cases by the following international bodies: the European Court of Human Rights (Council of Europe); the African Commission on Human and People's Rights; the European Court of Justice (European Union); the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the International Court of Justice; the Permanent Court of International Justice and the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The information is organised under the following subject headings: assembly; association; discrimination; due process; education; effective participation; existence; expression; family life; group identity; international aspects; limitations, derogations and restrictions; linguistic rights; minority issues; religion; and socio-economic rights. A list of case summaries and the text of selected major international conventions in this field are included as annexes.

A critical analysis of how international law operates in the ideology of the postcolonial state to marginalise minority groups.

An historical analysis of how ethnicity shaped international law and why it is relevant to minorities and ethnic conflicts today.