' / '

This research explores the role of public interest litigants in the circulation of arguments among courts regarding the interpretation of fundamental rights. Such circulation is often labeled ‘judicial dialogue’. ‘Public interest litigants’ are here defined as entities (individuals or groups) with no direct interest in the case, who use procedural avenues to participate in the litigation. Despite extensive scholarly attention for judicial dialogue, the necessity for more empirical research devoted to the exchanges among jurisdictions had been stressed. Three jurisdictions with different postures towards cross-citations were chosen for the analysis: the U.S. Supreme Court, the European Court of Human Rights and the South African Constitutional Court. Among their vast case law, landmark cases were selected dealing firstly with death penalty or related questions and secondly with discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Briefs submitted by public interest litigants to courts were collected and analyzed, mainly to inquire about the identity of the actors involved in the cases, to see whether their briefs contain comparative material and, if they do, to record what sort of references are made and whether they are accompanied by justifications supporting their relevance.The analysis reveals that the briefs contain comparative material. Many public interest litigants can be considered as messengers of this information. They push for the detachment of judicial interpretation from the text at hand and propose a variant of the interpretative exercise in which the mobilized material is not exclusively jurisdiction-bound. The cross-analysis also reveals that, contrary to the picture painted by the literature on the phenomenon, there are actually many comparisons in the broad sense (referring for example to a ‘universal practice’) that are used in a norm-centric way, that is, where the simple mention of a comparative element in the form of a broad reference or the outcome of a foreign case should have weight in the adjudication and not in a reason-centric way, that is, by exposing the reasoning of a foreign judge. The research also hypothesized that the comparative material brought by public interest litigants influences the judges. Analyzing the cases using the process-tracing method allowed to substantiate that briefs are read and established that several comparative references brought by public interest litigants were debated during the oral arguments and found an echo in the judgments (in majority and dissenting opinions). Along with the use of other methods such as interviews of judges, the hypothesis was thus confirmed.Exploring the roles of external actors also enables to supply the literature on judicial dialogue with factual insights regarding the identities of the actors behind the circulation of legal arguments. It was found that, in the United States, the traditional domestic ‘repeat players’ (that is, actors often involved in the litigation) do not clearly embrace a comparative approach while most public interest litigants in Europe and South Africa do. Similarly, the pregnant role of transnational actors is underlined. The analysis suggests an explanation drawn from an aspect of the legal culture in which the public interest litigants evolve and which influences their argumentative strategies: the horizon of the ambient rights discourse: a civil rights discourse, more territorially bounded (and more often found in the U.S. context), is distinguished from a human rights or fundamental rights discourse which entails a more cosmopolitan dimension.The final part of the research explores and discusses the justifications provided by public interest litigants to support the relevance of a comparative approach in the interpretation of rights. The compilation of these justifications allows to confront those provided first hand to the judges with those constructed post facto by the scholarly literature. It reveals the uncertain implications of some of these justifications, in particular the one pointing to the universal nature of the discussed rights and the one invoking the need for consistency among the approaches of jurisdictions.The research thus allows to confirm the hypothesis that public interest litigants play a key role in judicial dialogue. Moreover, it points at further promising researches, and this thesis hopes to draw the attention to often neglected elements, such as the identity and status of the actors bringing comparative information, the forms of citations and the roles assigned to them, the aspects of legal culture that are seldom mentioned in the literature and the implications of the justifications explicitly or implicitly provided for the relevance of comparative material. / Doctorat en Sciences juridiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The thesis evaluates how effective the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the EU have been in promoting the human rights of vulnerable migrants. It thereby pursues two objectives. Firstly, it questions legal scholarship that has identified certain rulings of the two courts as vital for migrant rights but which have not analysed their impact empirically. Secondly, it makes a methodological contribution to the evaluation of the effectiveness of international courts by proposing (and applying) an 'issue-based' methodology which assesses judicial bodies for their ability to resolve specific social and political problem. For these purposes, eight carefully selected 'key cases' are analysed in terms of three effectiveness types, namely law development, case-specific, and strategic effectiveness. The empirical materials used include interviews with 28 persons who were directly or indirectly involved in the selected key cases. Legal and empirical analyses show varying and complex results for the different cases, with some general trends emerging. Firstly, the case law of the courts is characterised by a significant inconsistency, resulting in a 'dilemmatic adjudication' that diminishes the impact of even rights-affirming judgments. Secondly, the 'case-specific' impact on the persons or the countries concerned remains contingent as governments and domestic courts manage to contain the ruling. Lastly, lawyers and NGOs increasingly use the courts in a strategic way, which can elevate impact on policy. Yet, this will depend on the resources invested, raising the question whether such strategies are the most efficient way to promote migrant rights. / Doctorat en Sciences juridiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

La procéduralisation des droits substantiels est un phénomène désormais incontournable du système conventionnel qui ne cesse de se développer et de s’étendre. Néologisme d’origine doctrinale, cette notion semble pourtant difficilement saisissable. La procéduralisation des droits substantiels appelle en ce sens différentes interrogations liées tant à sa définition qu’à sesimplications pour le mécanisme conventionnel. Que désigne cette notion complexe et hétérogène ? Comment le juge a-t-il réussi à la mettre en place alors que ce procédé était initialement totalement absent du texte de la Convention ? À quoi est-elle destinée ? L’hypothèse retenue est que la procéduralisation des droits substantiels est une technique juridique spécifique au sein du mécanisme conventionnel, qui permet au juge d’atteindre une meilleure effectivité des droits. Toutefois, loin d’être limitée à ce seul cadre, la procéduralisation s’avère inscrite au contraire dans une dimension beaucoup plus vaste touchant à des aspects institutionnels en étant au service de la réalisation d’un projet politique particulier. / The “procéduralisation” - or procedural processing - of substantial rights has become an unavoidable phenomenon in the conventional system and it keeps growing and spreading. Originally a doctrinal concept, this neologism seems somehow hard to grasp. The “procéduralisation” of substantial rights raises many questions about both its definition and implications for the conventional process. What is this complex and heterogeneous notion refering to ? How did the judge succeed to establish it, whereas this process was initially totally ignored by the European Convention ? What is it intended for ? We argue that the “procéduralisation” of substantial rights is a specific legal technique in the European case law, which enables the judge to achieve a better effectiveness for the rights. Nevertheless, the “procéduralisation” is not bounded inside this framework, but has proven on the contrary to fit into a much wider dimension related to institutional questions, being dedicated to the fulfilment of a specific political project.

Nous observons des différences significatives au sein de la protection pénale des libertés et droits fondamentaux de la femme entre l'Iran et la France. Ces dissemblances sont issues de divergences fondamentales dans la définition des concepts bâtisseurs des droits de l'Homme, basée sur les perceptions du monde selon l'Islam et la laïcité. Ces divergences influent sur la mise en œuvre juridique des droits de l'homme et de la femme au niveau international et national. La France a réaffirmé ses engagements vis-à-vis de la Déclaration DHC par l'adoption de celle-ci dans le Code constitutionnel français. Elle a adhéré à la majorité des textes internationaux et régionaux concernant les droits fondamentaux de l'Homme, la prévention des violences faites aux femmes et la discrimination à l'égard des femmes. Elle s'est engagée à appliquer les traités internationaux ratifiés et à les absorber en droit interne à travers le mécanisme prévu par le Code Constitutionnel. En Iran, selon le Code Constitutionnel, toutes les lois doivent être compatibles avec les prescriptions islamiques. Nous avons étudié l'incompatibilité avec l'Islam de certains droits proclamés dans la DUDH et dans d'autres textes internationaux, notamment la Convention sur l'élimination de toutes formes de discriminations à l'égard des femmes. Le droit pénal comparé franco-iranien, à l'égard de la protection pénale de la femme, permet d'identifier clairement la politique criminelle dans la lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes et la discrimination à travers les incriminations et les réponses punitives à cet égard. / We observe significant differences in the criminal protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of women between Iran and France. These dissimilarities are derived from fundamental differences in the definition of concepts of human rights based on the perception of the world in Islam and secularism. These differences affect the legal implementation of the human rights of women in the national and international level. France has affirmed its commitment to the DDHC by its adoption in the French constitutional bloc. It has acceded to most international and regional instruments on human rights, prevention of violence against women and discrimination against women. It is committed to implement the ratified international treaties and to internalize through the mechanism provided by the Constitutional Code. Iran claimed the Constitutional Code; all laws must be consistent with Islamic requirements. We studied the incompatibility of Islam with certain rights enshrined in the UDHR and other international instruments including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The French Criminal Law in relation to Iranian penal protection of women clearly identifies the criminal policy in the struggle against violence against women and discrimination through criminalization and punitive responses in this regard.

Les conceptions juridiques sur lesquelles repose l’Etat de droit au sein de cette aire géographique influent sur la détermination de la protection juridique des libertés fondamentales de l’Homme mais également sur la structure et l’organisation de l’Etat. Même si ce dernier se prévaut de sa vocation à garantir les droits fondamentaux, il semble échouer dans sa missions de protéger les libertés individuelles, en particulier celle relative à la liberté de religion. En outre, le religieux dispose d’une place telle que le jeu institutionnel s’en trouve entravé. L’accent est ensuite mis sur deux tendances contradictoires : la sécularisation progressive du droit à travers le renforcement du rôle de la justice constitutionnelle et l’éveil de la société civile d’une part, et les raisons de la persistance de la dialogie Constitution-Religion d’autre part. Aujourd'hui, à l’heure des « Printemps arabes », ces deux référents se présentent comme une dialogie nécessaire ou évidente. Les Révolutions n’ont pas abouti à la consécration d’un modèle laïc et la place du religieux se trouve maintenue, voire renforcée. / The dispute in the Arab world on the relationship between constitutional rights and freedom of religion has become increasingly passionate and virulent. Moreover, the relationship between these two positions is simultaneously a source of unification and conflict. To understand the logic of basing constitutionalisation on religious beliefs, this analysis seeks, firstly, to examine the Islamic judicial system, the objective being to substantiate the existence of Islamic constitutional theory; and to demonstrate the uncertainties that flow from its use in most Arab constitutional systems. The respective judicial concepts of each Arab state have a direct impact on both the protection of the fundamental human liberties and the structure and organisation of states. To the degree that governments propagate the concept of the rule of law, they appear to fail in fostering individual liberties, especially freedom of religion. Additionally, the scope given to the religious person at the core of constitutional texts in such that the very institution of fundamental liberties is hampered. Secondly, it is important to state the reasons for the uncertainties in Arab constitutional systems and their resulting impact. Emphasis is, therefore, given to two contradictory movements: on the one hand the progressive secularisation of law in reinforcing constitutional justice and the awakening of civil society; and on the other the persistent ambiguity on the relationship between constitutional rights and freedom of religion. Ultimately these developments lay the foundation to understanding the current judicial and political environment. At the time of the Arab Spring these two positions, constitution and religion, form the basis of a necessary and obvious dialogue: these uprisings have not led to the consecration of secular states, and the scope of the religious person has been maintained and perhaps even strengthened.

"Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de Maîtrise en droit (LL.M.) Option droit, Biotechnologies et société" / [À l'origine dans / Was originally part of : CRDP - Droit, biotechnologie et rapport au milieu] / Texte du mémoire également publié dans Lex Electronica ; vol. 10, no 2 (Été/Automne 2005) / Au cours de la dernière décennie, la pharmacogénomique est devenue le mantra révolutionnaire de nombreux chercheurs et de certains porte-paroles de l'industrie. L'intérêt que porteront les compagnies bio-pharmaceutiques du secteur privé à la recherche et au développement de nouveaux médicaments pharmacogénomiques sera déterminé par la facilité à obtenir du financement et les perspectives de retombées économiques. Dans cette perspective, le droit de la propriété intellectuelle (plus spécifiquement le droit des brevets) a toujours été l'instrument de prédilection pour motiver la recherche et le développement des produits pharmaceutiques. Cependant, l'extension de ce droit au domaine de la pharmacogénomique est controversé. Cette étude évalue l'applicabilité du système international des brevets au domaine de la pharmacogénomique. Suite à une analyse comparative du droit et des principaux textes normatifs, applicables aux brevets pharmaceutiques et biotechnologiques, ainsi qu'à une revue de la doctrine, l'étude soutient que le système de brevets reste une solution viable pour encourager la recherche et le développement dans le domaine de la pharmacogénomique. Cependant, certains ajustements sont nécessaires pour empêcher que des brevets trop larges, ayant des fondements juridiques douteux, ne soient octroyés sur des nouveaux tests de diagnostic pharmacogénomiques et sur des nouveaux outils de diagnostic pharmacogénomiques, ce qui serait néfaste à la recherche et limiterait l'accès aux soins de santé. Plusieurs stratégies sont proposées pour promouvoir un système de brevets applicable au domaine des biotechnologies qui, tout en donnant la motivation nécessaire aux inventeurs et à l'industrie, protégerait nos valeurs humaines fondamentales. / In the last decade, pharmacogenomics has become the "revolution" mantra for numerous researchers and industry representatives. The research interest of the industry for pharmacogenomics will be determined by financing possibilities and prospective economic benefits. In this perspective, the intellectual property system (more specifically patents), has always been the privileged tool to motivate research and development of pharmaceutical products. However, its application to pharmacogenomics is controversial. This study evaluates the applicability of the international patent system to the area of pharmacogenomics. A comparative review and analysis of international laws and guidelines applicable to biotechnology and pharmaceutical patents as well as a review of the literature was carried out. Our study found that the patent system remains a viable solution to promote research and development of pharmacogenomics. However, some adjustments are needed to ensure that overbroad patent having a weak legal basis are not granted on both new pharmacogenomic research tools and diagnostic tests since this could be detrimental to research and limit access to healthcare. Strategies are suggested to promote a patent system, applicable to the field of biotechnology, that will give the necessary incentive to inventors and industry while protecting our fundamental human values.

This doctoral thesis is at the intersection of law and technology by focusing on the ethical governance of private companies on the topic of discrimination. It centers on algorithmic and intentional discrimination. It aimed to determine whether the European Union and Federal USA law are equipped to address discrimination in the provision of work, goods, and services online. Through and extensive analyses of sources that included private company practices, private anti-discrimination policies, collective and private litigation, court decisions, public regulation at the EU, Member State levels, and United States, this thesis argued that statutory law and legal precedents in the European Union and United States are only partially equipped to address discrimination against statutorily protected classes. The author of this thesis inferred from the selected sources that the main obstacles to the full implementation of the equality principle rely on businesses' structural challenges, including aesthetic design, matching tools, evaluation systems, and network effect of online platforms that ultimately reinforce old biases against protected classes. Furthermore, rigid and more flexible regimes of liability immunities to online intermediaries results in the lack of incentive for structural changes. Finally, in the light of these structural challenges, this thesis asserts that the fight against discrimination in online platforms might produce the best results when also oriented by a model of regulation that encourages online platforms to implement the principle of transparency and fairness in their interactions with users, coupled with the cooperation of anti-discrimination bodies and private businesses. / Doctorat en Sciences juridiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l’Université de Montréal / This thesis advances a theoretical framework for the evaluation of Shari'a (Islamic law) with respect to the modern notion of international human rights law. It analyzes the concepts of individual, rights, citizenry, and constitutionalism in Shari'a, and examines the principles, characteristics, and standards of Shari'a in the field of human rights. With reference to the principle of equality, it also reviews the rights of women and religious minorities under Shari'a. As a case study, the thesis also establishes a framework for analyzing the notions of freedom and freedom of expression, and discusses Shari'a criteria and qualifications for freedom of speech, the right to participate in public life, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom of the press. Focusing on Iran's constitutional and legal system, the study illustrates the implementation of Islamic law in Iran, where Shari'a is strictly applied. The thesis concludes that universal standards of human rights are not established features in Islamic law, and Shari'a principles contradict the principles and norms of international human rights law. It is also argued that the application of Shari'a, public and criminal law in particular, is problematic and results in deficiencies and hardships in Muslim societies. Muslim reformists have sought an alternative Islamic law more compatible with modern standards and values. This thesis contributes to the debate on Islamic reformism and human rights in arguing that Shari'a's contradiction of universal human rights norms cannot be avoided, and that traditional mechanisms of reforrn within the framework of Shari'a are inadequate for achieving the necessary degree of reform. It is suggested that, based on a cross-cultural dialogue and intellectual debate, an essential and primary reform should define the notion of human rights on rational and intellectual grounds, and identify the objective foundations of human rights in reason and human dignity, not on Shari'a criteria and qualifications.

Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 10 octobre 2023) / Ce mémoire s'articule autour d'une exploration ethnographique d'un groupe de femmes Maya Kaqchikel guatémaltèques dans leurs démarches de création d'une organisation locale de défense des droits humains ayant pour but de favoriser un meilleur accès à la justice et contribuer à la pleine réalisation des droits humains des femmes au sein de la communauté locale. En s'appuyant sur le concept des subjectivités politiques, cette recherche vise à explorer les stratégies de représentation employées par ce groupe de femmes en vue de trouver un écho - de résonner - tant auprès de la communauté locale que des bailleurs de fonds occidentaux. Les données ont été recueillies au moyen des méthodes de l'observation participante, d'entretiens semi-dirigés et de récits de vie. L'analyse des données a été réalisée simultanément et de concert avec certain-e-s participant-e-s. Les réflexions avancées dans ce mémoire invitent à plonger dans les dimensions multiples et complexes des subjectivités politiques et à approfondir les connaissances sur l'expression des droits humains dans un contexte d'activisme local et situé. / This thesis is based on an ethnographic exploration of a group of Guatemalan Maya Kaqchikel women in their pursuit of creating a human rights organization aimed at improving local women's access to justice and the full realization of their human rights. It engages with the concept of political subjectivities to explore how these women are presenting themselves and their organizational missions to conform at once to the expectations of potential Western funders and those of the local Indigenous community. Participant observation, semi-structured interviewing and life history interviewing were used to gather data and analysis was conducted simultaneously while implicating participants. Ultimately, this thesis contributes to shedding light on grassroots human rights activism and the complex and multifaceted dynamics of political subjectivities. / Esta tesis se basa en una exploración etnográfica de un grupo de mujeres maya kaqchikeles guatemaltecas en su intento de crear una organización de derechos humanos destinada a mejorar el acceso de las mujeres de la comunidad a la justicia y la plena realización de sus derechos humanos. A partir del concepto de subjetividades políticas, esta investigación pretende explorar las estrategias de representación que este grupo de mujeres utiliza para cumplir a la vez con las expectativas de potenciales financiadores occidentales y con las expectativas de la comunidad indígena local. La recolección de datos se llevó a cabo por medio de observaciones participantes, entrevistas semiestructuradas e entrevistas de historias de vida y los datos se analizaron simultáneamente y en colaboración con algunxs de lxs participantes. La investigación nos invita a ahondar en las múltiples y complejas dimensiones de las subjetividades políticas y a profundizar en el conocimiento de la expresión de los derechos humanos en un contexto de activismo local y situado.