‘A UN judge has been convicted of forcing a young woman to work as a slave who she “exploited and abused”. Lydia Mugambe, 49, took “advantage of her status” over the victim in the “most egregious way” by preventing her from holding down steady employment and forcing her to work as her maid and to provide childcare without payment, prosecutors said.’
The Guardian, 13th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A United Nations torture tsar has said British prisoners trapped on indefinite jail terms are probably “being detained arbitrarily” after The Independent revealed six in 10 are being blocked from moving to open jails.’
The Independent, 8th February 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Despite Alex Henry running from the scene and being diagnosed with autism, he remains behind bars.’
The Independent, 23rd November 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The London School of Economics has been criticised by a UN rapporteur and accused of Islamophobia after reportedly raising an allegation that students behind a pro-Palestine demonstration in July had prompted fears of a repeat of the 7/7 terrorist attacks.’
The Guardian, 20th October 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The privatised English water system has been singled out for criticism by the UN special rapporteur on the human right to clean water.’
The Guardian, 9th October 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The UN special rapporteur on torture has urged Sir Keir Starmer to review the cases of thousands of people trapped in prison indefinitely under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.’
The Independent, 21st August 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘This article is the first to demonstrate how the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations can be used in UK domestic law and courts. The UPR is a cyclical review of UN member states’ human rights obligations. It is unique because it involves states (rather than judges or experts) scrutinising and making recommendations to one another on how they can improve human rights on the ground. These recommendations are then subject to a process of follow-up in the subsequent review, which will occur four to five years later when the state can then be scrutinised about their implementation of recommendations made in the previous cycle. The UPR was set up as an international political process, and as a consequence legal practitioners may be unaware of the UPR, or at least unfamiliar with its relevance to their work. Indeed, it has almost never featured in reported case law in England and Wales.’
Judicial Review, 29th July 2024
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘The lengthy multi-year sentences handed to Just Stop Oil activists are “not acceptable in a democracy”, a UN special rapporteur has said, as the government faced growing pressure to reverse the previous administration’s “hardline anti-protest” approach.’
The Guardian, 19th July 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘United Nations experts have warned Britain is at risk of breaching international law over allegations of child asylum seekers being placed in adult detention centres after crossing the Channel on small boats.’
The Independent, 9th July 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘As a UN expert on psychological torture, I’ve asked peers to reconsider the IPP sentences still affecting thousands in jail.’
The Guardian, 20th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Human rights in the UK are routinely reviewed by various UN bodies – treaty bodies, special procedures, and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The influence of these activities in the UK has been the subject of some inquiry in the past (see, notably, Brice Dickson’s recent book on the subject). But what has remained elusive is whether the work of these bodies has any salience to the UK Government. As the prime initiator of policy and legislation, the executive holds significant power to implement the recommendations of UN bodies that it supports. Hence, we must understand the extent to which policymakers engage with the findings and recommendations of human rights mechanisms to fully appreciate their impact (or lack thereof). Do they have any bearing at all on decision-making, or simply pass under the radar? Is engagement with the UN mechanisms a mere ritual, or a means of securing greater respect for rights in the UK?’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 7th May 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘A severe crackdown on environmental protest in Britain with “draconian” new laws, excessive restrictions on courtroom evidence and the use of civil injunctions is having a chilling impact on fundamental freedoms, the United Nations special rapporteur has said.’
The Guardian, 23rd January 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A UN torture expert has said changes to the imprisonment for public protection (IPP) scheme in England and Wales do not go far enough and repeated her call for prisoners jailed under the indefinite sentencing regime to be granted release dates.’
The Guardian, 19th January 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Long sentences handed to two Just Stop Oil protesters for scaling the M25 bridge over the Thames are a potential breach of international law and risk silencing public concerns about the environment, a UN expert has said.’
The Guardian, 20th November 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The UK’s home secretary, Suella Braverman – the minister responsible for setting immigration policy – has said the United Nations refugee convention is not “fit for our modern age” and should be renegotiated.’
EIN Blog, 2nd October 2023
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘Artificial intelligence is developing too fast for regulators to keep up, the UK’s deputy prime minister is to announce as he aims to galvanise other countries to take the threat seriously in advance of the UK’s AI safety summit in November.’
The Guardian, 22nd September 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Trades Union Congress has lodged a complaint with the UN’s labour standards body claiming the UK government flouted the watchdog’s orders over its newly enforced “undemocratic” anti-strike law.’
The Guardian, 10th September 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A refugee who was threatened with extradition when he tried to return to Britain after holidaying in Italy has won a last-minute reprieve.’
The Guardian, 29th August 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘R ((AAA) Syria and Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWCA Civ 745. The Claimants in this case are 10 individual asylum-seekers from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Sudan and Albania who entered the UK irregularly by crossing the English Channel in small boats, together with one charity, Asylum Aid.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 19th July 2023
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
© Inner Temple Library 2025