The head of the United Nations used his opening speech of the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council to launch a seven-point “Call to Action” on human rights. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the appeal to countries, businesses and all people to help renew and revive human rights across the globe in what marks … Read more →
More than 10,000 civilians in Afghanistan were killed and injured last year, according to a new United Nations report that details record-high levels of civilian harm in the ongoing conflict. The report, entitled Afghanistan Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2019, documents 3,403 civilians killed and 6,989 injured – with the majority … Read more →
On Wednesday 19 February, 2020, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel launched a new “points based” immigration system which will take effect from 1 January 2021. The new scheme delivers on the Conservative party’s electoral promise to end free movement and lower the levels of immigration into the UK – both key ‘vote leave’ campaign promises … Read more →
Greece’s reception system for migrants has collapsed in light of a spike of arrivals over the past few months. Turkey’s recent police operations, that involved removing refugees and asylum seekers from its western coastal cities and sending them back to the regions where they were registered, has pushed Greece’s current accomodation to capacity. Between September … Read more →
Following UK Prime minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle on Thursday 13 February, Conservative Suella Braverman was appointed as the new Attorney General, the government’s senior legal officer. She has made clear that she wants to limit the powers of judges on the Supreme Court and change the Human Rights Act. In a blogpost on 27 … Read more →
Research suggests “fake news” will worsen the coronavirus epidemic. New research published on Friday 14 February shows that “fake news” – including misinformation and inaccurate advice – can lead to worsening outbreaks of disease, such as the current coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19). Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have analysed how the spread of … Read more →
The UK government is pushing ahead with its decision to forcibly return dozens of Jamaicans living in the UK on a flight scheduled for Tuesday 11 February. The government has defended its decision despite last-minute legal challenges by people due to be on board, and concerns that Windrush citizens could be among those removed. The … Read more →
On Sunday 9 February, voters in Switzerland backed a proposal to make discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identity illegal. Unlike many of its western European neighbours, Switzerland has no law in force that specifically protects LGBTQ+ people from discrimination or hate speech. Mathias Reynard, a Social Democrat who drafted the legislation, … Read more →
A renewed plea has been made for the warring parties of Syria to end hostilities in light of the recent military campaign and bombings carried out in the northwestern, Idlib region. Speaking to the UN Security Council on Thursday 6 February, Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy on Syria said the recent strikes are causing … Read more →
Each year 6 February marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This year to highlight the on going FGM crisis the UN have released new modelling which expose the immense costs of treating the health impacts of FGM – amounting to US$1.4 billion globally per year. Female genital mutilation, also … Read more →
