Human Rights

A court in Thailand has upheld two death sentences which the UK’s National Crime Agency has admitted it helped secure. The two defendants, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, are now at risk of imminent execution. Reprieve is calling on the UK government to seek a stay of execution for the two Burmese men,

Protestors in Hong Kong are preparing for fresh rallies on Friday as they demand city authorities satisfy their demands on the revocation of the Extradition Bill, The Guardian reports. Anonymous calls have been made on social media for people to gather outside the government headquarters in the Admi

Plans to set up a National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership have been applauded by the Faculty of Advocates’ Human Rights and Rule of Law Committee (HRRoL). The Scottish government says the taskforce is to be co-chaired by Shirley Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Brazil: Supreme Court Votes to Make Homophobia a Crime

A member of the Faculty of Advocates has been named on a list of Lawyers Who Are Changing the World For the Better 2019. Piya Muqit is executive director of Justice Centre Hong Kong and it is her human rights work there, especially on behalf of refugees, which earned her the accolade from The Attic,

Preliminary death sentences have been handed to more than 2,400 people in Egypt, including 11 children, during President Abdelfattah el-Sisi’s first five years as president, a Reprieve report has revealed. Mass Injustice: Statistical Findings on the Death Penalty in Egypt examines Egypt’

The UK government is appointing an international ambassador for the promotion of human rights. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has appointed Rita French, formerly his principal private secretary, to the role.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. TfL Tube chiefs ban adverts from 11 countries over poor human rights

Britain has assisted prosecutions in anti-terrorism courts in Pakistan that have handed down more than 350 death sentences in the last five years, The Telegraph reports. The Counter Terrorism Associated Prosecutorial Reforms Initiative (CAPRI) is a strand of the Pakistan Rule of Law Programme, funde

The right to food should be enshrined in law in Scotland to protect people from rising food insecurity and the impacts of Brexit, according to a new report by the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC). The report, submitted to the Scottish government, also calls on public authorities to

Research has been launched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into whether legal aid enables people who raise a discrimination complaint in Scotland to get justice. The equality body wants to hear from anyone who has experienced discrimination in Scotland since 1 January 2016.

The UK government has indicated its preferred destination for British nationals detained in north-east Syria, explicitly opposing their transfer to the Assad regime or the US facility at Guantanamo Bay, but confirming it is in “regular discussions” with the government of Iraq about how t

A legal inquiry into whether people with mental health conditions, cognitive impairments and conditions including autism are experiencing discrimination in the criminal justice system has been launched by the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The inquiry will focus on the accused person

Human rights experts are set to debate refugee protection at a student-led human rights conference in Aberdeen next month. Lawyers Without Borders Student Division at Aberdeen University will hold its Human Rights Conference 2019 on March 11, examining the question: "Are refugees afforded suffi

The UK government has failed to give assurances that it will not repeal or replace the Human Rights Act – a stark contrast to its proclaimed commitment to "shared values of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms" – the House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee has stated. T