News

Our weekly round-up of human rights stories from around the world. ‘Law is the only weapon I have’: a Ukrainian lawyer’s campaign to rescue the children stolen by Russia

The justice sector is facing serious and complex challenges and without increased funding of £400 million (13 per cent) in next year’s budget, the sector faces unacceptable cuts to services, according to Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee. The committee has been gathering evidence as

The Law Society of Scotland has announced two senior executive appointments as it prepares to support a "rapidly changing" Scottish solicitor profession. The Law Society has appointed a new executive director of member experience and a new executive director of operations, both of whom will take up

Former criminal judge Gilbert P. Self has been sentenced to decades in prison for stealing from the public. The former judge of Alabama's criminal courts used judicial bank accounts to fund personal holidays, including a ski trip to Montana and a cycling trip across Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

UK government plans to appoint the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as sole regulator for anti-money laundering (AML) across the UK have been criticised as a backward step in tackling economic crime by the Law Society of Scotland. In its response to an HM Treasury consultation, the Law Society has

Lithuania's parliament has voted to give a cat the power to sack the head of the country's national broadcaster. Opposition MPs succeeded in passing the so-called "cat amendment" this week in protest of controversial government-backed reforms.

Blackadders LLP is to donate £34,000 to Maggie’s Centres across Scotland after a year of fundraising for the cancer support network. The firm adopted Maggie’s as its charity of the year for 2025 and Blackadders’ teams from every office took part in a series of events and chal

The parents of a Scottish teenager who died after being targeted by an Instagram sextortion gang have launched a wrongful death lawsuit against Meta in the US. Murray Dowey, 16, died at his family home in Dunblane in December 2023 after being deceived into sharing intimate images with an Instagram a

A man linked to serious organised crime has been jailed over a money laundering plot worth almost £12 million. Ronald Russell, 47, of Linwood, Renfrewshire, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison at the High Court in Glasgow after admitting his role in the scheme. Russell tried t

A woman who kept more than 20 dogs and puppies in squalid conditions inside stables and farm outhouses has been fined a total of £1,975 and banned from keeping dogs for three years. Several dogs belonging to Jamie-Lee Harper, 36, were matted and dirty and left to sleep on concrete floors in da

Scotland’s housing market recorded a notable annual increase in October 2025, with the average property price rising to £192,000, up 3.3 per cent compared to October 2024.

Immediate action will be taken to address any harms or risks identified in the first part of an inspectorate-led review of responses to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), the Scottish government has said. Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth announced to Holyrood that the first par

Human rights campaigners have expressed disappointment after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the disclosure of evidence in a Troubles-related inquest could be blocked on national security grounds. Judges yesterday handed down their unanimous judgment in a case concerning a decision by a coroner to d

Addleshaw Goddard has announced the high-growth technology businesses selected for its 2025 AG Elevate programme. Three of this year’s cohort of 10 are based in Scotland.

A law to establish a new offence of dog theft, despite the fact it is already an offence at common law, has been passed at Holyrood. The Dog Theft (Scotland) Bill, was passed by 119 votes to two.