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Jeinsen Lam - 18th June 2020
On the 3rd anniversary of the Grenfell fire where 72 residents (at least 34 of whom were from a BAME background) lost their lives, is the country in a better position to avoid future cladding related fires? Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1 Report The Phase 1 report was released in October 2019 was primarily concerned with […]
Sapan Maini-Thompson - 4th June 2020
In QX v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020], the UK High Court reached a landmark preliminary decision that ECHR Article 6 applies to the judicial review of obligations imposed under a Temporary Exclusion Order (TEO). The Court further held that the claimant is entitled to the level of disclosure outlined in SSHD […]
Pranav Agarwal - 28th May 2020
On 5 March 2020, after more than a decade of preliminary examination, and the initial rejection by Pre-Trial Chamber-II (‘the Chamber’) of the International Criminal Court, the Appeals Chamber unanimously authorized Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to initiate an investigation into the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity (Articles 7 and 8, Rome Statute) committed by […]
Julia Lowis - 3rd May 2020
On 29 April 2020, the UK Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the case of AM(Zimbabwe) v SSHD [2020] UKSC. This completes the domestic line of authority grappling with the ECtHR’s Grand Chamber’s judgment in Paposhvili v Belgium, which reformulated the applicable test where appellants allege that their proposed removal to a third country […]
Daniel Cullen - 17th April 2020
On 25 March 2020, the UK Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the case of Elgizouli v SSHD [2020] UKSC 10. At issue was the legality of a UK Government decision to provide mutual legal assistance (MLA) to US authorities in circumstances where the information shared may be used in a prosecution for offences […]
Julia Lowis - 16th April 2020
Over 56% of Kenya’s urban population live in informal settlements, with Kibera in Nairobi being Africa’s biggest slum. Within them, there are widespread instances of killings of young males by police, allegedly in the fight against crime and terrorism. Missing Voices reports that in 2019 police were responsible for the killing of 107 Kenyans: most […]
Finnian Clarke - 9th April 2020
The House of Lords Constitution Committee recently published its recommendations in relation to the government’s fast-tracked Coronavirus Bill 2020. The House of Lords debates have welcomed the government’s decision not to derogate from the ECHR (in contrast to several other contracting parties). However, in seeking to ensure ECHR-compliance of the proposed scheme, the Committee placed significant […]
Nancy Siboe - 9th April 2020
As one of the measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, courts in major parts of the world are delaying trials and temporarily closing doors. While the move is reasonable in the face of the pandemic, the process could leave some cases in limbo for weeks, if not months. In the criminal context, this […]
Alexandra Fowler - 6th April 2020
On 18 March 2020, the UK Minister for Defence introduced into the UK Parliament his promised package of new legislation designed to ‘protect veterans’. Entitled the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, the proposed laws would amend the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) in ways that impact on its human rights obligations, including […]
Jessica Anania - 6th March 2020
Since August 2017, at least 10,000 Rohingya – a Muslim minority group in Myanmar’s Rakhine state – have been killed and 700,000 have fled to neighboring Bangladesh amidst a brutal army crackdown and clearing operation. Widespread sexual violence with “genocidal intent” was also documented, including rape and gang rape perpetrated against women, girls, men, boys, […]
Amra Ismail - 15th February 2020
In the landmark judgement of Rathnayake Tharanga Lakmali v Niroshan Abeykoon, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka held that the extra-judicial killing of a suspect in police custody violated the right to life, despite the absence of an explicit right to life in the Constitution of Sri Lanka. The court directed the State to pay […]
Anant Agarwal - 10th February 2020
On January 23, the International Court of Justice announced the imposition of provisional measures against Myanmar. Myanmar is required to immediately cease all atrocities and human rights violations against Rohingyas, a Muslim ethnic minority group. In a suit instituted by The Gambia, Myanmar is alleged to have committed genocide and crimes against humanity, including mercilessly […]