Human Rights

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed Lady Poole’s appointment as chair of the Covid inquiry but said the terms of reference do not go far enough to ensure that a human rights-based approach is taken to the inquiry. Much will depend on the approach taken by Lady Poole, it said.

Amnesty International is to close its Hong Kong offices by the end of the year because of China's controversial national security legislation. The human rights organisation said its work had been made "effectively impossible" by the Hong Kong national security law introduced by Beijing last summer i

The Scottish Human Rights Commission called on the Scottish government to set out a full and transparent assessment of the human rights issues engaged by Covid-19 vaccine certification. In its letter, the commission expresses its concern that the Scottish government has mandated Covid vaccination ce

Organisations across Scotland will share £21 million funding over three years to "advance human rights, promote equality and tackle discrimination". A total of 48 organisations – including five human rights organisations – will benefit from the Scottish government's new equality an

New research from Amnesty International UK and the Human Rights Consortium Scotland (HRCS) found evidence that the human rights of people in Scotland were frequently overlooked as major public service redesigns took place during the ‘first wave’ of Covid-19 in 2020. The findings further

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) today issued a set of minimum requirements for conditions of detention in European prisons, concerned by the negative effects of pre-existing austerity measures in certain states, which could be exacerbated by the Covid-19 p

The Council of Europe’s HELP programme (Human rights Education for Legal Professionals) has launched a new online course on the environment and human rights. The six-hour course, which is available free of charge via the HELP online platform, has been developed by experts on the European Conve

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has set out the concerns and obligations that must be considered by the Scottish government in any moves to introduce so-called "vaccine passports". In a new briefing, the commission also makes nine recommendations to the government on how to proceed on Covi

Plans to incorporate human rights treaties into Scots law have been announced by Equalities Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. Subject to the outcome of May's Holyrood election, a new Human Rights Bill will incorporate four United Nations human rights treaties into Scots law, including legislat

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed the passing of the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act at Holyrood. The legislation creates a new independent body, Redress Scotland, to administer a scheme making financial payments to survivors of historical child

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has warned of potential risks to the protection of people’s rights in Scotland as a result of the UK government’s latest review of the Human Rights Act. In evidence submitted to the review, the commission detailed its concern that changes being consid

Concerns for the prison population have been raised by the Scottish Human Rights Commission. Writing to the Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, the SHRC sought assurances that measures will be taken to deal with the rising prison population.

The UK government's review of the Human Rights Act has launched a call for evidence. The review will consider how the act is working in practice and whether any change is needed.

UK measures to avoid complicity in forced labour in China must be extended, human rights campaigners have said. Responding to the announcement from the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that companies will have to meet requirements showing their supply chains are free from forced labour in the Xinjiang

JUSTICE Scotland’s Annual Human Rights Day Lecture will return on 21 January 2021 with a discussion on the Human Rights Act. Twenty years of the Human Rights Act: a Scottish Perspective will feature a panel of four top speakers, chaired by Lord Hodge, Deputy President of the Supreme Court.