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admin - 11th July 2013
It is depressing that some politicians are using the Abu Qatada case to denigrate our system for protecting human rights when we should be thankful that it has shown the high value the system places on justice and acceptance that use of evidence procured by torture is a denial of justice. In forcing a reluctant […]
Natasha Holcroft-Emmess - 24th June 2013
In Smith (and Others) v MOD [2013] UKSC 41, the UK Supreme Court was charged with determining whether the UK government had jurisdiction over British soldiers killed while serving in Iraq. The incidents in question raised several issues, including the admissibility of claims under the substantive aspect of Article 2 of the ECHR (the right to […]
Ken Macdonald - 8th June 2013
As Kenneth Roth, the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, has recently pointed out, international human rights and humanitarian law would not necessarily seem to require the wholesale abolition of drone operations such as the ones presently being targeted by the Obama Administration in northwest Pakistan. A proper legal architecture, prompt investigations into catastrophic errors, […]
Lionel Nichols - 7th June 2013
The ICC’s case against the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, is scheduled to commence on 9 July 2013. Should this eventuate, Kenyatta will become the first sitting head of state in history to be tried by an international court. Victims of the 2007/08 post-election violence, however, may be forgiven for doubting that the trial will […]
Jessie Blackbourn - 6th June 2013
On Tuesday 14 May, the second report of Australia’s Independent National Security Legislation Monitor was tabled in the federal parliament. The report recommended sweeping reforms of a number of Australia’s most contentious anti-terrorism laws, including those providing for control orders, preventative detention orders and the questioning and detention of non-suspects by the Australian Security Intelligence […]
Gilles Giacca - 3rd June 2013
The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), adopted by the UN General Assembly on 2 April 2013, was opened for signature today at the UN in New York in accordance with its Article 21. The ATT will enter into force 90 days after the day on which the 50th state deposits its instrument of ratification, acceptance, or […]
Natasha Holcroft-Emmess - 22nd May 2013
On the 25th of April 2013, the Justice and Security Act was granted Royal Assent after the Bill’s tumultuous progression through the parliamentary drafting stages. Part 2 of the Act regulates disclosure of sensitive material under the closed material procedure (CMP), where one party and their legal representation are excluded from evidence or allegations […]
Guest Contributor - 29th April 2013
By Conor Fortune It has all the trappings of a sci-fi film. A life-size, talking robot stands outside Britain’s Houses of Parliament, flanked by a ponytailed professor of robotics, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activists who are together calling for action to stop the killer robots – before it’s too late. Only […]
Guest Contributor - 22nd April 2013
Following Dr Gilles Giacca’s post last Monday on the Arms Trade Treaty, Dr. Laurence Lustgarten argues that the Treaty is a historic accomplishment, but it has several limitations. It would be churlish not to welcome the Arms Trade Treaty. It is the first of its kind in world history: an attempt to establish universal standards […]
Gilles Giacca - 15th April 2013
Last month Dr Gilles Giacca wrote on the progress of the Arms Trade Negotiations recently held in New York. Today, in the first of a special two-part series, he provides an overview of the historic results of these negotiations. On Tuesday 2 April 2013, after many years of discussions and negotiations, the United Nations General […]
Gilles Giacca - 22nd March 2013
By Dr Gilles Giacca – The renewed United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty opened on 18 March 2013 for a total of nine days. Optimism is running high that despite the very short time frame and the unseemly collapse of negotiations in July 2012, an agreement can be secured this time around. There […]
Guest Contributor - 8th March 2013
By John Bond OAM In September 2012 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Human Security, which it describes as ‘an approach to assist Member States in addressing widespread challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of their people.’ This indicates a growing global recognition that security is not just a matter of armies […]