On Tuesday 28 July 2020, Equinet submitted a third-party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of Franc TOPLAK v. Slovenia and Iztok MRAK v. Slovenia, now pending before the second section of the ECtHR.
Pursuant to Article 36(2) of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and Rule 44(3) of the Rules of the Court, Equinet has submitted its first written observations to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in applications nos. 34591/19 and 42545/19 Franc TOPLAK v. Slovenia and Iztok MRAK v. Slovenia. The cases concern the accessibility of polling stations to persons with disabilities in wheelchairs.
This is the first time that the Court will decide on the merits of a case regarding the structural problem of physical accessibility to polling stations regarding persons with disabilities, and the positive duties States have to ensure effective accessibility.
Equinet provides the ECtHR with information on the following issues of relevance to securing the rights of persons with disabilities to vote without discrimination:
- International human rights standards and trends regarding the right to vote for persons with disabilities.
- Legislation and practice across the Contracting States. Equinet will provide information on the current national legislation, jurisprudence and practice on the right to vote for persons with disabilities relevant to the case.
The Equinet submission was the fruit of cooperation between National Equality Bodies from Equinet’s Equality Law Working Group. Read it here.