Withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has not been firmly ruled out as a potential UK government policy option to allow easier implementation of its controversial new measures to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. This, in the context of a UK general election looming and tackling the ‘small boats problem’ being one of the five priorities of UK prime minister Rishi Sunak.
In recent months, ECHR withdrawal has come up in relation to the UK’s controversial draft Illegal Migration Bill, the (now shelved) bill of rights, and – perhaps most significantly – the Northern Ireland Protocol deal with implications for the Good Friday Agreement.… Seguir leyendo »
In the recent race to become Britain’s next Conservative Party leader and prime minister, there was one item the final candidates all agreed on – sticking with a controversial plan to send asylum seekers arriving on their shores halfway across the world to Rwanda.
Just a few weeks into the top job, freshly anointed prime minister Liz Truss doesn’t appear to be changing course anytime soon. (The closest the plan came to happening was in June, when a plane of asylum seekers set for Rwanda was grounded following a last-minute injunction by the European Court of Human Rights).
Now, as the British government faces legal challenges to the scheme from campaign groups representing asylum seekers, renewed focus has turned to Rwanda’s human rights record – including its imprisonment of political opponents.… Seguir leyendo »
Following the recent terrorist attack in London that left seven dead and several wounded and in light of the previous two attacks on Westminster Bridge and in Manchester, British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to allow for more extensive law enforcement measures in fighting extremism. The Prime Minister stated that if human rights laws would prevent the government from pursuing their agenda against extremism, the government would “change the laws so we can do it”. UK intelligence services already possess a variety of intrusive powers to manage the threat that is perceived as especially challenging in Great Britain today, namely identifying, monitoring and countering ‘homegrown’ extremists and their supporters.… Seguir leyendo »
One way of understanding war is to see it as capitalism with the gloves off. That certainly is how the hidden war in Yemen is being viewed by many charities and NGOs: Saudi Arabia and 13 other wealthy Arab states have been bombarding one of their poorest neighbours to stop the Yemenis from becoming an ally of Iran. In doing so this Riyadh-led coalition against Shia insurgents is fuelling an arms bonanza in Britain; it may be hitting factories in Yemen but it’s securing jobs in the midlands. More than £2.8 billion of British arms orders have been authorised for delivery to Saudi Arabia since bombing began 17 months ago.… Seguir leyendo »
The long saga of the extradition of five Muslim men from Britain to the US, which is due to end today, has shown up the limits of the British, European and US legal systems' commitment to human rights. The impact on our society will be profound.
Miscarriages of justice corrode trust in every layer of authority. And with each year they drag on, the loss of respect for courts, police and government gets worse, as with the notorious cases of the Birmingham Six, and the Guildford Four and the Cardiff Three. Much worse awaits each of these men now, in the US.… Seguir leyendo »
Libya stands on the brink of a new future, one that holds out the promise of democracy and freedom after 40 years of oppression. One of the most important tasks facing the interim government is the prevention of reprisals. That is why David Cameron and I have urged the National Transitional Council to exercise restraint and respect for human rights.
Britain has a proud history of international leadership on human rights. It was our political leadership and legal expertise that led to the creation of the European convention on human rights in 1950, a convention modelled on centuries of English law.… Seguir leyendo »
On April 11, French commandos went in with guns blazing and captured a gang of pirates who days earlier had hijacked a luxury cruise ship, the Ponant, and held the crew for ransom. This was the French solution to a crime wave that has threatened international shipping off Somalia; those of us who have been on the business end of a pirate’s gun can only applaud their action.
The British government on the other hand, to the incredulity of many in the maritime industry, has taken a curiously pathetic approach to piracy. While the French were flying six of the captured pirates to Paris to face trial, the British Foreign Office issued a directive to the once vaunted Royal Navy not to detain any pirates, because doing so could violate their human rights.… Seguir leyendo »
By Shami Chackrabarti, the director of Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties) (THE GUARDIAN, 12/08/06):
Dear home secretary:
Trust me, I really do get it. We face a significant terrorist threat from an international network that feeds on division, distrust, real and perceived injustice, and converts it into suicide and murder. You see the intelligence and hear "the chatter" on a daily basis. You carry responsibility for protecting lives and democratic institutions. You field criticism for domestic and foreign policy, and periodic opposition to particular measures which some think counter-productive . But don't make the mistake of confusing scrutiny with complacency or treachery.… Seguir leyendo »
WHEN THE TWO most prominent judges in the country simultaneously attack the Government, you know there’s a war on. A very British war, one of intellect and condescension, but still barbed.
On Tuesday, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, criticised ministers for prison overcrowding and treatment of drug addicts. His predecessor, Lord Woolf, went further. He said that the Prime Minister’s plans to reform the Human Rights Act were pointless and that ministers should refrain from making “ill-informed comments” about individual cases — such as the decision to grant Afghan hijackers leave to remain in Britain, which John Reid called “inexplicable and bizarre”.… Seguir leyendo »
By Ronald Dworkin, a Bentham professor of law at University College London; his book Is Democracy Possible Here? is published later this year (THE GUARDIAN, 24/05/06):
This is a dangerous time for freedom in Britain. The country's most powerful politicians have joined its irresponsible press in a shameful attack on the idea of human rights. Tony Blair says that the nation needs to re-examine what he calls the "philosophy" behind the Human Rights Act so as to change the balance it strikes between individual freedom and the community's security. David Cameron says a Tory government would reform that act or repeal it entirely.… Seguir leyendo »
By Anthony Lester. Lord Lester QC is a human rights lawyer and Liberal Democrat peer (THE GUARDIAN, 16/05/06):
The writing was on the wall when Tony Blair sacked Charles Clarke and installed John Reid as home secretary. Clarke had resisted ill-conceived and illiberal law-and-order gimmicks invented in Downing Street to appease the rightwing press. In the wake of the disastrous local elections, however, the prime minister decided to pick a populist fight against the judges and liberal politicians. He commanded a more compliant home secretary to "look again at whether primary legislation is needed to address the issue of court rulings that overrule the government in a way that is inconsistent with other EU countries' interpretation of the European convention on human rights".… Seguir leyendo »
By Professor Rod Morgan, chair of the Youth Justice Board. Response of The restraint of childhood (THE GUARDIAN, 23/03/06):
Children and young people in custody come generally from "chaotic and difficult family backgrounds". That's a fact I have frequently publicised. So Carolyne Willow's suggestion that by discussing this I am inferring that "these young people deserve much of what they get" is unwarranted (The restraint of childhood, March 16).The Youth Justice Board (YJB) in general, and myself in particular, welcomed the establishment of the Carlile Inquiry into child custody and gave every assistance. We take extremely seriously our duty of care to young people in custody, and will respond carefully to Lord Carlile's recommendations.… Seguir leyendo »
By Carolyne Willow, the national coordinator of the Children's Rights Alliance for England (THE GUARDIAN, 16/03/06):
What would have to happen to children in UK jails before we say "enough is enough"? A year after 15-year-old Gareth Myatt died after being restrained in Rainsbrook secure training centre, a 16-year-old girl told me of having red marks on her cheeks and bloodshot eyes during restraint - early signs of asphyxia. A 14-year-old boy said he still had neck-ache two weeks after being restrained. I was told of noses being broken after "nose distraction" - one of three techniques designed by the prison service for use on children as young as 12 in the secure training centres.… Seguir leyendo »
Informe de Amnesty International (23/02/06). Resumen:
Las elecciones generales de 1997 llevaron de nuevo al poder a los laboristas tras 18 años de gobierno conservador en el Reino Unido. Con Tony Blair como primer ministro, el gobierno laborista, fiel a sus promesas electorales de 1997, publicó una propuesta de ley, titulada "Traer los derechos a casa" ("Bringing Rights Home"), que presagió la trascendental promulgación de la Ley de Derechos Humanos de 1998, con la que quedaron incorporados en la legislación británica la mayoría de los derechos proclamados en el Convenio Europeo para la Protección de los Derechos Humanos y de las Libertades Fundamentales.… Seguir leyendo »
El Reino Unido ¿acepta la tortura?Carmen Márquez Carrasco es profesora titular de Derecho Internacional Público y Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad de Sevilla (EL PAIS, 18/09/04).
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