Religion – Weltanschauung – Recht [ RWR ]

In today’s Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Mouvement raëlien suisse v. Switzerland (application no. 16354/06), which is final, the European Court of Human Rights held, by a majority, that there had been no violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned the authorities’ refusal to allow the association Mouvement raëlien suisse (Swiss Raelian Movement) to put up posters featuring extraterrestrials and a flying saucer on the ground that it engaged in activities that were considered immoral. The Court found that the refusal had met a “pressing social need” and that the authorities had not overstepped the broad margin of appreciation given to them in view of the non-political dimension of the poster campaign. The restriction was, moreover, limited to the display of posters on public facilities, allowing the association to use other means of expression. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »