Insight: Is turning back migrants at sea compatible with international law? – House of Commons Library

Posted September 14th, 2021 in asylum, human rights, immigration, international law, news, treaties, United Nations by tracey

‘What does international law say about turning back migrants at sea, and can “pushback” tactics be used safely and legally?’

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House of Commons Library, 13th September 2021

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Discriminatory Denial of Peaceful Assembly in the UK – Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘In July 2020, the UN Human Rights Committee adopted General Comment No. 37 on the right to peaceful assembly, directing States to recognise the “intrinsic value” of the right, and to “promote an enabling environment for the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly without discrimination”. The Human Rights Committee also reaffirmed that, even in states of emergencies, states’ obligations to ensure non-discrimination remain: emergency measures must not discriminate either in their purpose or their effects.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 19th August 2021

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Fifty-two prisoners in close supervision units ‘that may amount to torture’ – The Guardian

‘Fifty-two people are being held in prison units in England and Wales in conditions that a UN human rights expert has said may amount to torture, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 26th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government breaching human rights commitments under UN racism treaty, report warns – The Independent

‘The government is in breach of a UN treaty designed to eradicate racial discrimination, a new report has warned. Research by the Runnymede Trust said that minority ethnic groups face sustained disparities across health, the criminal justice system, education, employment and immigration in England.’

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The Independent, 14th July 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UN calls for end of ‘impunity’ for police violence against black people – The Guardian

Posted June 29th, 2021 in death in custody, news, police, racism, reports, United Nations, violence by sally

‘A UN report that analysed racial justice in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd has called on member states including the UK to end the “impunity” enjoyed by police officers who violate the human rights of black people.’

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The Guardian, 28th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK introducing three laws that threaten human rights, says UN expert – The Guardian

‘Boris Johnson’s government is introducing three pieces of legislation that will make human rights violations more likely to occur and less likely to be sanctioned even as averting climate catastrophe depends on these rights, the UN special rapporteur for human rights and the environment has said.’

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The Guardian, 24th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Part One: The History of Our Human Rights – Each Other

Posted April 8th, 2021 in human rights, legal history, news, United Nations by sally

‘As they evolve and come under scrutiny, what constitutes our human rights in the United Kingdom is hotly contested. The first of a series, this piece takes us through the history of human rights from their formal inception to the present day.’

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Each Other, 7th April 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

UN court rules UK has no sovereignty over Chagos islands – BBC News

Posted January 29th, 2021 in Chagos Islands, colonies, international law, news, United Nations by tracey

‘The maritime law tribunal of the United Nations has ruled that Britain has no sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.’

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BBC News, 28th January 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK Covid policy for children in detention ‘cruel and inhumane’, says UN expert – The Guardian

Posted October 27th, 2020 in children, coronavirus, detention, mental health, news, United Nations, young offenders by sally

‘The UK government’s policy of allowing children in detention to be locked alone in their cells for up to 23 hours a day under emergency Covid-19 measures is “extreme and inhumane” and could lead to lifelong mental health damage, according to the UN special rapporteur on torture and leading child health experts.’

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The Guardian, 27th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UN warns of rise of ‘cybertorture’ to bypass physical ban – The Guardian

‘Psychological torture is being exploited by states to circumvent the more widely understood ban on physically inflicting pain and may open the way to a future of “cybertorture”, the UN torture rapporteur has said.’

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The Guardian, 21st February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK could forfeit security council seat over Chagos Islands dispute – The Guardian

Posted January 6th, 2020 in Chagos Islands, human rights, international law, news, United Nations by sally

‘The UK could lose its permanent seat on the UN security council unless it resolves the future of the Chagos Islands, the archipelago in the Indian Ocean whose largest island, Diego Garcia, is a US military base.’

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The Guardian, 5th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK defies UN deadline to return Chagos Islands – The Guardian

‘Refusal to return archipelago to Mauritius “lawless” and “reflects colonial mindset” says barrister.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

UN highlights role of legal aid cuts in “immiseration” of millions – Legal Futures

‘The decimation of legal aid has contributed to “the systematic immiseration of millions across Great Britain”, the UN’s expert on poverty and human rights said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

UN backs demand for Britain to relinquish Chagos islands – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 23rd, 2019 in armed forces, Chagos Islands, colonies, news, United Nations by tracey

‘Britain suffered an embarrassing diplomatic defeat on Wednesday when the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to hand the disputed Chagos islands back to Mauritius.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd May 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Chagos Islands dispute: UK obliged to end control – UN – BBC News

Posted February 26th, 2019 in Chagos Islands, colonies, Diego Garcia, international law, news, United Nations by tracey

‘The UK should end its control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean “as rapidly as possible”, the UN’s highest court has said.’

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BBC News, 25th February 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

International law regarding use of force – OUP Blog

Posted November 19th, 2018 in international law, news, precedent, United Nations, use of force by states by sally

‘Through the power of precedent, international incidents involving the use of force help to clarify the meaning and interpretation of jus ad bellum, the corpus of rules arising from international custom and the United Nations Charter that govern the use of force. UN Charter Article 2(4) forbids states from using force in their international relations. Exceptions to this prohibition are acts taken in self-defence under UN Charter Article 51 or under the auspices of a UN Security Council authorization to use force under Article 42. States can also consent that another state use force in its territory, for example to combat rebel or terrorist actors. In certain cases, state practice gives rise to new interpretations of existing rules or novel exceptions emerge. Through the study of precedents scholars often consider whether or not there has been a shift in the legal landscape. To give but a few illustrations, commentators have questioned if States take measures of self-defence under Article 51 to protect nationals abroad (a justification that has been invoked at various moments, for instance by Russia in the context of the crisis in Georgia in 2008), if a right to humanitarian intervention has emerged (a discussion triggered by the Kosovo crisis in 1999), or if self-defence under Article 51 can be invoked against non-state actors (a topical debate in the post 9/11 era). Consequently, depending on the precedent’s facts and the arguments invoked by the main protagonists different legal issues can be triggered.’

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OUP Blog, 19th November 2018

Source: blog.oup.com

The history of The Declaration of the Rights of the Child – OUP Blog

Posted November 5th, 2018 in children, human rights, legal history, news, United Nations by sally

‘Virtually every news cycle seems to feature children as victims of military actions, gun violence, economic injustice, racism, sexism, sexual abuse, hunger, underfunded schools, unbridled commercialism—the list is endless. Each violates our sense of what childhood ought to be and challenges what we believe childhood has always been.’

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OUP Blog, 5th November 2018

Source: blog.oup.com

UK agrees principles for tackling modern slavery in supply chains – Home Office

‘The UK has developed, alongside the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, principles for nations to adopt to tackle modern slavery in global supply chains.’

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Home Office, 25th September 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

The legal basis for air strikes against Syrian government targets – House of Commons Library

‘This paper looks at the general prohibition in international law on the use of force or threat of force directed at other states, and the legal advice on which the Government decided to participate with the US and France in air strikes on Syrian government targets on 14 April.’

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House of Commons Library, 16th April 2018

Source: www.parliament.uk

violence Women’s rights and gender equality ‘Glib’: UK criticised for failing to give to fund for survivors of UN sexual abuse – The Guardian

Posted March 13th, 2018 in compensation, equality, news, sexual offences, United Nations, victims by sally

‘The UK government has come under fire from victims’ groups for failing to contribute to a UN fund for survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com