3 minutes
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has published its annual report for 2024-25. The SHRC has focused on strengthening accountability, "amplifying lived experience" and embedding a stronger human rights culture across Scotland.
2 minutes
Following a public consultation, the Scottish government has committed to adopting anti-SLAPP legislation which will be based on a model law drafted by Professor Justin Borg-Barthet and Dr Francesca Farrington of the University of Aberdeen’s Anti-SLAPP Research Hub. Strategic lawsuits ag
3 minutes
MSPs from Labour and the SNP have declared their support for new legislation to criminalise sex buyers in Scotland. Rhoda Grant and Ruth Maguire have sent a joint letter to the Scottish government calling on them to back the Prostitution (Offences and Support) Bill.
5 minutes
A cancer patient who developed severe Somatic Symptom Disorder after a successful operation to remove his kidney has been awarded £904,000 in damages after it was found that pain symptoms that he suffered following the operation were attributable to the anxiety caused by a last-minute change o
2 minutes
David Hay KC and Greg Cunningham of Westwater Advocates have successfully resisted an appeal by the secretary of state in a novel TUPE case. The Employment Appeal tribunal found that the date of the relevant transfer was 21 March 2023 and that, as a petition for winding up had been presented on 7 Ma
3 minutes
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has vowed to "uphold" statutory safeguards for complainers in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment in Daly. Ms Bain spoke of her understanding that victims may feel "increased uncertainty" following publicity of the recent decision on sections 274 and 275 of the Crimi
2 minutes
Scotland's abortion laws are "not fit for purpose", an expert group has claimed as it called for legal recognition for a woman's right to choose. As the law stands, an abortion is only legal before 24 weeks after two doctors have agreed that certain grounds have been met – such as a risk to th
5 minutes
The High Court of Justiciary has ruled that a sheriff’s decision to conduct a jury trial entirely in the absence of an accused who refused to attend court and smeared himself with faeces to prevent himself from being transported amounted to a miscarriage of justice as he had been excluded from
2 minutes
The Scottish government has committed to reforming the law to address strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). A newly published report, which follows a consultation on SLAPPS, confirmed the government’s agreement that "the law should be reformed to address SLAPPs" and that it
1 minute
A new guide launched at COP30 aims to help policymakers understand the dangers of climate change – and the "solutions that can bring about a safe and sustainable future". The Parliamentarians’ Global Guide to Climate Change and Climate Solutions contains contributions from world-leading
3 minutes
In support of international efforts to address the impacts of climate change, the Scottish government has confirmed funding for loss and damage, human rights and adaptation projects, as part of the £36 million Climate Justice Fund. Recognising that "communities in the Global South, who have co
1 minute
A coffee shop chain in China has been forced to drop its communist-style branding following heavy criticism in state media. The "People's Coffee Shop" deliberately designed its shopfronts to resemble the masthead of the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
2 minutes
The Law Society of Scotland has warned that proposed changes to legal aid fees for cases related to adults with incapacity (AWI) would further exacerbate the shortage of solicitors for such work. The warning is contained in a submission by the Law Society on potential changes to legal aid regulation
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