Jakóbski v. Poland
- Court / authority
- European Court of Human Rights
- Country / jurisdiction
- Poland
- Date
- 2010-12-07
- Case / document number
- App no 18429/06
- Document type
- European Court of Human Rights case law
- Legal area
- Freedom of religion; prison diet
- Relevant provisions
- ECHR Article 9
Summary
A Buddhist prisoner requested a meat-free diet on religious grounds. The prison refused. The Court held that the refusal, in circumstances where a simple vegetarian diet would not have caused disproportionate difficulty for the authorities, amounted to a violation of Article 9.
Legal significance
The leading authority that a diet required by a sincerely held conviction can fall within the manifestation of belief protected by Article 9, and that a State must weigh the burden of accommodation against the interference.
Relevance to the right to vegan food
Directly relevant to institutional catering. The judgment concerns a religious vegetarian diet in prison; it does not itself decide whether ethical veganism triggers the same duty, and it does not establish a general right to vegan food.
Current legal status
Final judgment; good law.
The information provided by FFVR is intended for general informational and educational purposes. It is not individual legal advice. The legal analysis presented on this website includes both established law and FFVR's interpretation of relevant legal principles. Where FFVR advocates for a particular legal development, this should not be understood as a statement that such a right already exists under Swedish law.