Human Rights

Pearson: ECHR-Inspired Act Makes Britain Less Safe

May 29, 2015

Allison Pearson writes that the U.K. Human Rights Act, which requires British judges to "take into account" rulings from a supranational court on the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR"), makes the British people less safe by hamstringing the authority of the government to protect them.
Lord Judge Expresses Concern on ECtHR Influence

May 27, 2015

Former Lord Chief Justice Judge has indicated that he has “great reservations” about the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”) countering decisions of the U.K. Parliament and that the U.K. must make a clear decision on the future of the British Human Rights Act.
Judge: ECtHR Judgments Do Not Bind U.K. Courts

May 27, 2015

Lord Justice Leveson of the U.K. Queen's Bench Division has argued that although U.K. judges initially looked upon judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”) as binding, they have more recently understood that they are not required to follow these precedents.
Heartfield: ECHR-Based Act Has Not Protected Rights in U.K.

May 27, 2015

Author James Heartfield argues that the U.K.’s implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”) through its Human Rights Act restricted human rights in the U.K. by giving the responsibility of rights protection to a judiciary with limited, procedure-based authority.
Ombudsman: Member States Use EU Funds in Rights Violations

May 21, 2015

EurActiv reports that the EU Ombudsman has called on officials to perform visits to member states to ensure that EU funds, intended to spur economic growth, are not used to violate fundamental rights, especially in countries "with a less positive track record."
EU Requires Emergency Automobile Tracking Devices

April 29, 2015

Recent EU legislation will require all new cars in the EU, beginning in 2018, to be fitted with a tracking system that will automatically alert authorities in the case of a crash.
U.K. Pledges to Protect Military from Human Rights Claims

April 14, 2015

In recent remarks, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon promised that a Conservative Government, if elected in May, would protect members of the armed forces serving overseas from human rights claims, such as those filed under the U.K. Human Rights Act and at the European Court of Human Rights.
ECHR Finds in Favor of Russia in Deportation Case

April 13, 2015

The Daily Mail reports that in a case that could support stricter immigration enforcement throughout Europe, the European Court of Human Rights ("ECHR") has ruled that Russia did not violate a man's right to family life by deporting him for failing to keep his immigration status up to date.
NGOs Take U.K. to ECHR over Mass Surveillance

April 13, 2015

A group of nongovernmental organizations ("NGOs") have filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights ("ECHR") against the U.K., asserting that the Government's alleged mass surveillance practices and collection of surveillance data from U.S. authorities violate human rights.
CoE Calls on Countries to Restrict Employer Data Use

April 10, 2015

The Council of Europe ("CoE") Committee of Ministers has issued a set of recommendations for its 47 member states calling for specific national restrictions on employers' retention and use of data on their employees.