In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) handed down the landmark case of “Hirsi Jamaa and others vs. Italy”, which ruled that European countries could not “push back” illegal migrants and would be fined hundreds of thousands of Euros if they did. The case involved a network of Soros-sponsored lawyers and NGOs who managed to track down 22 Somalian and Eritrean migrants in Libya who had been turned back in 2009 to bring their cases to Strasbourg.
Now, a report by conservative American activist Jay Sekulow’s European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has revealed that NGOs related to the Open Society Network are deeply involved with the ECHR, and many of its judges are tied to these organizations. The report identified seven NGOs that are both active at the Court, and have judges among their former staff. At least 22 of the 100 judges who have served on the ECHR since 2009 are former staff or leaders of these seven NGOs, the report stated.
The NGOs are identified as A.I.R.E. Center (Advice on Individual Rights in Europe), Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Helsinki Committees and Foundations Network, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Interights (International Center for the Judicial Protection of Human Rights), and the Open Society Foundation (OSF) and its various branches, in particular the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI).
“The Open Society Network stands out for the number of judges linked to it and for the fact that it actually funds the other six organizations identified in this report. The powerful presence of the Open Society and its affiliates is problematic in many ways. But even more serious is the fact that 18 of the 22 judges were found to have served on cases initiated or supported by the organization with which they were previously associated.”
The report identified 88 problematic cases over the last 10 years: “In only 12 cases have judges abstained from sitting because of their connection with an NGO involved.” The think tank called its assessment “low”, since it did not take into account OSF’s close financial links to many other NGOs.
“This situation is serious, and calls into question the independence of the Court and the impartiality of the judges. These conflicts must be remedied immediately.” The report proposes greater attention be paid to the choice of candidates for the post of judge by avoiding the appointment of activists and campaigners, to ensure transparency of interests and links between applicants, judges and NGOs, and to formalize the procedures for deportation and disqualification.
While many blogs and alternative websites have covered the explosive revelations of the report, they have inexplicably been largely ignored by mainstream media. This week the Russian Foreign Ministry commented in an official Press release, stating that the report “caught our attention”, not least because Russia has “repeatedly pointed out to its Council of Europe colleagues” instances of Western human rights NGOs” exerting implicit and explicit influence on the ECHR” analyzed in this paper.
“We believe that our colleagues from the Council of Europe and member states of the organization should pay attention to this report, which may provide valuable “food for thought” in the context of ongoing ECHR reform. Russia has always advocated a strong but non-politicized European Court. It appears that due consideration by all parties of the existing shortcomings in the ECHR activities during the reform will make it possible to adjust and ultimately minimize the “political” side effects involved in its practice,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. Russian President Vladimir Putin banned Soros NGOs in 2015, saying they “posed a threat to both state security and the Russian constitution.” Russian observers frequently blame Soros for starting the war in Ukraine and the ensuing conflict between Russia and the West.
Last year, Gateway Pundit revealed the ties between Soros and the Spygate Conspiracy’s Ukrainian origins. As the Spygate investigation comes to a head, Western governments must seriously consider following Russia’s lead and declaring Soros and the Open Society Foundations a hostile foreign power.
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