Human Rights

Amnesty International has designated three prominent human rights defenders from Hong Kong and mainland China as prisoners of conscience. Human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi, along with the free media advocate Jimmy Lai, are all currently imprisoned because of their peaceful human rig

A coalition of more than 100 civil society organisations has demanded that the Scottish government fulfil its promise to introduce the Scottish Human Rights Bill. In a letter to First Minister John Swinney, the organisations express their frustration at the bill’s exclusion from the current le

The Scottish Human Rights Commission said it is "deeply disappointed" that First Minister John Swinney has not delivered the new Human Rights Bill for Scotland in his Programme for Government. Professor Angela O’Hagan, chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said: “The proposed Hu

Deaths in custody, segregation and mental health are among the areas of concern in prisons and forensic mental health settings in Scotland, according to a new report. The Scottish Human Rights Commission and UK National Preventive Mechanism joint report concludes that little progress has been made a

Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza has repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war, according to a new report from the UN Human Rights Office. The report, published yesterday, details six emblematic attacks involving the suspected use of GBU-31 (2,000 lbs), GBU-32 (1,000 lbs) and GB

Amnesty International is urging shareholders in Dow to consider withdrawing their investment from the US chemicals company if it fails to rapidly meet its human rights responsibilities towards more than 500,000 people still suffering from the Bhopal disaster, one of the world’s worst industria

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has expressed serious concern about the Hong Kong Safeguarding National Security Law (SNS Law) that came into force on Saturday, following an accelerated legislative process by the Hong Kong Legislative Council. The new law is

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill is fundamentally incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations, Westminster's Joint Committee on Human Rights has warned. Following scrutiny of the bill to assess its human rights implications, the committee has published a report highli

The UK National Preventive Mechanism has warned in its annual report that governments across the UK have repeatedly failed to take meaningful action to alleviate human rights concerns in places of detention. Systemic issues continue in detention settings across the UK, which include prisons, police

More than 50 organisations have signed an open letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf warning that plans for a Scottish Human Rights Bill must not be watered down.

Progress towards a new human rights framework for Scotland has been highlighted in an event at the University of Strathclyde.

Staff at public bodies can be “overwhelmed” with the implementation of human rights laws in their organisations, a new study warns. When laws are viewed as sacrosanct, control over their interpretation and implementation can be seen as the responsibility of a privileged few, according to

People in Scotland are more likely to support human rights than not and are increasingly worried about having fewer human rights, according to new research. YouGov research published by the Scottish Human Rights Commission shows that almost half of people in Scotland support human rights. Support fo

COP28 hosts the United Arab Emirates has ignored calls from international civil society to demonstrate its respect for human rights as it refused to release imprisoned dissidents, Amnesty International said. The Emirati government’s legislation and practices impose severe restrictions on the r

More than 1,070 members of the legal profession have called on the UK government to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank and to take urgent steps to ensure the UK government does not violate international humanitarian law or aid or assist its violation by others. The letter, or