Human Rights

The United Nations Security Council must renew its arms embargo on the territory of South Sudan amid the state’s failure to ensure accountability for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and to protect survivors, witnesses and judicial actors, Amnesty International said today in a new repor

Scouts will now be able to work towards obtaining a human rights badge in Scotland. Cubs and Scouts aged between eight and 14 can undertake challenges towards gaining the badge, the logo for which was designed by 10-year-old Scout, Christopher, from Lenzie in East Dunbartonshire.

A 90-year-old Catholic cardinal was detained by police in Hong Kong under the region's national security law. Joseph Zen, a former bishop of Hong Kong, was arrested over his trusteeship of a humanitarian fund established to assist demonstrators who took part in the pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has expressed concern over UK government plans to bring forward legislation to replace the Human Rights Act with a new Bill of Rights. The commission is strongly opposed to these "deeply regressive proposals" which it believes are based on false premises and a fl

A new Centre of Expertise in Equality and Human Rights to "put human rights and equality at the heart of economic policy development" is being established. The centre, an action from Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation, will see government "working with experts to build kn

More than 50 human rights organisations have written to the UK government ahead of an expected announcement on the scrapping of the landmark Human Rights Act 1998. A bill allowing judges to disregard case law from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is expected to be included in the Queen's S

Britain must relieve the pressures on its education, health and social care systems following the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s human rights watchdog says in a report to the UN today. A widening educational attainment gap for children on free school meals and concerns about safety in the

Law students and graduates in the UK have been invited to submit essays on "eco-anxiety" and human rights to a new competition named in memory of Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore. Organised by the Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) young lawyers' committee, the competition invites essays on the question

Human rights protections are at risk from the UK government’s proposals to replace the Human Right Act, according to a new evidence report submitted to the United Nations (UN) by the Scottish Human Rights Commission. In its “report card” to the UN’s latest Universal

Italy violated Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights after it failed to protect a woman and her children, one of whom was murdered by the applicant's partner. Ms Landi alleged that the Italian state had failed to take the requisite action to protect her and her two children from the d

Russian military forces have extrajudicially executed civilians in Ukraine in apparent war crimes, Amnesty International said today as it published new testimony following on-the-ground research. Amnesty International’s Crisis Response investigators interviewed more than 20 people from village

The hearts of death-row prisoners were removed while they were still alive by surgeons in China, according to an Australian study. Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) concluded that surgeons killed a number of prisoners during surgery, among them “prisoners of conscience&rd

A practical guide to the law in relation to single-sex spaces has been published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) today. The guidance aims to help service providers make lawful decisions about any services they offer to women and men separately, by explaining the permitted sex and

The families of victims of a US drone strike in Libya in November 2018 have filed a criminal complaint against the commander of Italian Naval Air Station Sigonella used to carry out the strike. The complaint accuses the Italian commander of the unlawful use of force under both international and Ital

Six British judges have resisted calls to stand down from Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal, after sitting judges Lord Reed and Lord Hodge stepped down from the court over freedom of speech concerns. In a joint statement, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Lord Sumption,