Rubins v Latvia, App no 79040/12 (ECtHR, 1 June 2015)
This European Court of Human Rights judgment emphasises the importance of domestic courts when confronted with a whistleblowing claim, looking into the public interest element and the veracity of the allegations in question. The applicant, a university professor, expressed concerns in an email to management about shortcomings in the way the university was being run citing, among others, a State Audit Office report. He was subsequently dismissed having been accused by his employers of blackmail and making defamatory statements about them. In finding this sanction violated the applicant’s Right to Freedom of Expression under Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, the Court affirmed the need for employers to allow their workers to express legitimate concerns of the leadership without facing detriment for doing so.