‘The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms did not impose an obligation on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs or the Secretary of State for Defence to conduct an inquiry into deaths occurring in 1948 in Malaya before the Convention was adopted and the United Kingdom acceded to the Convention. Likewise no duty arose under customary international humanitarian law which was enforceable at common law. Nor was the decision of the Secretaries of State to exercise their discretion not to establish a public inquiry vitiated on public law grounds.’
WLR Daily, 19th March 2014
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
