Partially Clandestine Criminal Trials Risk Standardising Secrecy
In a decision handed down 4 June 2014, the UK Court of Appeal addressed the issue of secrecy in criminal trials on the grounds of national security. UK Government Ministers...
Criminal Justice and Fair Trial
Executing the Intellectually Disabled: a Stronger Prohibition
On 21 February 1978, Freddie Hall and his accomplice, kidnapped, raped and murdered a young woman, and in a separate incident, killed a sheriff’s deputy. Hall’s siblings, teachers, and the...
Righting wrongful convictions: is anguish enough?
In a recent judgment, Adambhai Sulemanbhai Ajmeri v. State of Gujarat, the Supreme Court of India acquitted all six men convicted by the High Court of Gujarat for the attack...
¿“Derecho” a ignorar el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos?
El 9 de abril, un ciudadano mexicano, Ramiro Hernández-Llanas, fue ejecutado mediante la pena de muerte en Texas. Fue procesado y declarado culpable por distintos delitos, incluyendo el asesinato de...
The “Right” to Ignore International Human Rights?
On April 9th, a Mexican citizen, Ramiro Hernández-Llanas, was executed via the death penalty in Texas. He was prosecuted and found guilty for several crimes, including the murder of his...
Perpetual Life Sentences, Reformation and the Indian Supreme Court
It is trite to say, or so we hope, that a retributive criminal justice system has no place in a society conceived from the idea that human rights in general,...
Restricting Receipt of Rehabilitative Resources: The Prisoner Book Ban
New prison service rules prohibit prisoners in England and Wales from receiving books and essentials from the outside world. The imposition of a sweeping restriction on family and friends sending...
Throwing Away The Key – Whole Life Sentences in the Court of Appeal
Flouting the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Vinter v UK, the UK Court of Appeal has held that whole life sentences do not violate Article...
Court of Appeal Affirms Ability to Pass Whole Life Tariffs for Murder
A specially constituted five-member Court of Appeal has ruled unanimously in R v McLoughlin that the imposition of a ‘whole life order’ for murder not does violate Article 3 ECHR....
Indian Supreme Court Changes Stance on Death Penalty: Holds Delay to be a Ground for Commutation
Recently, in the case of Shatrughan Chauhan v. Union of India, a three-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment on the death penalty: holding, in particular,...
Equal Treatment for All…Except the Highest?
A recent resolution of Member States of the International Criminal Court (ICC) puts into question their commitment to respect the fundamental right of equality for all embedded within Article 1...
Prosecuting in the Public Interest: CPS Guidelines from Assisted Suicide to Social Media
Although the DPP’s consent is required before a prosecution for assisted suicide can be brought, the discretion whether to prosecute or not exists in all cases. In this post, drawn...
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