55 h. ago Britain doesn't need to quit ECHR to have a 'sensible immigration policy' says Tory tasked by Kemi with finding UK a way out of human rights system

Shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson KC is leading a Conservative review of the UK's membership of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Events

6 d. ago Family of Annabel Rook issue statement after mum found dead with stab wounds in exploded house

The former human rights lawyer was a 'truly wonderful woman'

Society

8 d. ago EU cites ‘indications’ Israel is breaching human rights obligations over conduct in Gaza

Leaked document marks significant moment in relations with ally but stops short of calling for immediate sanctionsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe EU has said “there are indications” that Israel is in breach of human rights obligations over its conduct in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for immediate sanctions.“There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under article 2 of the EU-Israel association agreement,” states a leaked document from the EU’s foreign policy service, seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago What are the legal issues around Britain helping Trump bomb Iran?

Keir Starmer is weighing up whether to back the US and – as a lawyer – will be aware of the legal landscapeMiddle East crisis – live updatesUK politics live – latest updatesAs Keir Starmer considers whether Britain should support the US if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iran, the attorney general, Richard Hermer, has reportedly warned him that UK involvement could be illegal. The prime minister was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war when he was a human rights lawyer in 2003 and will be well aware of the thorny legal issues around engagement in strikes against Iran. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Human rights laws allowing 'feckless fathers' to avoid being deported, top police chief claims

Human rights laws are allowing offenders who have 'fecklessly' fathered children in Britain to avoid deportation, a top police chief said yesterday.

Events

1 week ago Labour plan to stop foreign criminals exploiting human rights laws to avoid deportation rejected by Eurocrats

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood used a speech in Strasbourg to set out how the European Convention on Human Rights 'feels out of step with common sense' and needed to 'evolve'.

Events

1 week ago Two fugitives who are wanted for murder and child rape in Brazil are allowed to stay in Britain after using human rights laws to avoid extradition

Marlon Martins Dos Santos and Nicolas Gomes De Brito have both successfully fought extradition to Brazil after claiming it would violate their rights.

Events

1 week ago Mum and human rights lawyer named as 'murder' victim after fatal stabbing and house explosion

The victim has been identified as "lovely" lawyer and mother-of-two Annabel Rook, whose body was discovered with knife wound injuries following the explosion.

Events

1 week ago Kathy Lette looks back: ‘Older women are invisible, so I make sure to do something outrageous every day’

The author on her love for Spike Milligan, the furore over Puberty Blues, and why being middle-aged is greatBorn in 1958 in Sydney, Kathy Lette burst on to Australia’s literary scene in 1979 with Puberty Blues. Co‑written with Gabrielle Carey, the irreverent portrait of teenage girlhood became a cult classic, a film and a TV series. Relocating to London in the 1980s, Lette has worked as a columnist, television writer and campaigner, and has published a string of bestselling comic novels. She lives in London and has two children, Julius and Georgina, with her former husband, the human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson. Her latest novel, The Revenge Club, is out now.When I was 19, I was in a band called the Salami Sisters. As well as the occasional gig in a pub, we’d busk. The problem was, we kept getting arrested. I was furious. How come we were getting arrested for singing, when actual rapists were running free? My sister was a police constable at the time, so one day I bor...

Politics

3 w. ago Human rights laws need 'tightening,' says Cabinet minister amid Tory move to quit ECHR to cut immigration

Environment Secretary Steve Reed’s comments came as the head of the Council of Europe, whose role includes promoting human rights, argued the ECHR needed to be ‘adapted’ for the modern world

Politics

3 w. ago Hungary’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ content violates human rights, says EU lawyer

ECJ advocate general condemns ‘stigmatising’ law that bars such content from schools and primetime TVEurope live – latest updatesThe Guardian view on Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ lawsA Hungarian law banning content about LGBTQ+ people from schools and primetime TV has been found to violate basic human rights and freedom of expression by a senior legal scholar at the European court of justice.The non-binding opinion from the court’s advocate general, Tamara Ćapeta, issued on Thursday, represents a comprehensive demolition of the arguments made by the Hungarian government defending its so-called childprotection law, passed in 2021. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago El Salvador human rights lawyer demands public trial as police haul her before judge

A lawyer from a prominent human rights organization who has been an outspoken critic of some of President Nayib Bukele’s policies has demanded a public trial as police brought her before a judge

Events

3 w. ago The mum of an ISIS 'Beatle'. Shamima Begum. Gerry Adams. 5 Al

Liberal human rights lawyer Philippe Sands rejected the opportunity to defend the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and instead signed up to act against him on behalf of Human Rights Watch.

Events

3 w. ago A lawyer's prolonged detention shows how El Salvador's gang emergency extends to common crimes

El Salvador’s arrest of an anticorruption lawyer from a well-known human rights organization last month is the latest example of how the special powers given to President Nayib Bukele to battle gangs are being applied to a host of unrelated alleged crimes

Events

3 w. ago ‘I’m open about how hard it is’: Stephanie Case breastfed her baby in 100km race and still won

Human rights lawyer returned to running at the Snowdonia ultra-trail six months after giving birthIn Chamonix Stephanie Case is swaying the sway of a new mother. Pepper, her baby, is cocooned in a sling, defying sleep and gurgling politely over the video call. They became viral sensations last month when ultrarunner Stephanie won the women’s section of the Snowdonia ultra-trail, a 100km race with 21,000ft of ascent, while stopping to breastfeed Pepper en route.It was an extraordinary achievement six months after giving birth and slots into an extraordinary life – on the one hand, a human rights lawyer, working in warzones around the world; on the other, an ultrarunner, whose charity, Free to Run, empowers young women and girls in areas of conflict. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Israel’s ‘violations’ in Gaza make world more dangerous, Norway warns

Low respect for international law and human rights set worrying precedent, international development minister saysIsrael is setting a dangerous precedent for international human rights law violations in Gaza that is making the whole world more dangerous, Norway’s international development minister has warned.Norway has played a historical role in the region, including by facilitating the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians that led to a celebrated breakthrough deal in 1993. Last year it recognised the Palestinian state, one of a minority of European countries to do so. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Saudi police filmed beating females in secret prisons families banish them to for years

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Videos and photos taken from outside a prison in Saudi Arabia paint a picture of hellhole conditions for women, who haven't even broken the law, according to human right activists

Events

last month UK’s top lawyer attacks Badenoch over call to leave European human rights treaty

Attorney-general Richard Hermer says ‘pseudo-realist’ politicians risk providing ‘succour to Putin’

Events

last month Trump’s lawlessness is emboldening El Salvador’s brutal regime | Noah Bullock and Amrit Singh

The detention of a leading human rights lawyer is part of a wave of repression sweeping the country under Nayib BukeleThe Trump administration’s agreement with President Nayib Bukele to detain US migrants deported to El Salvador without due process seems to have emboldened Bukele’s autocratic regime. Last week, in a troubling sign of escalating repression, Salvadorian police detained Ruth López Alfaro, a prominent Salvadorian human rights lawyer at Cristosal, an organization fighting for human rights in Central America.Last year, the BBC recognized Ms López Alfaro as one of the 100 most inspiring and influential women in the world, describing her as “an outspoken critic of the country’s government and institutions” who “conducted a broad social media campaign to promote political transparency and public accountability overseen by the citizens themselves”. This year, on 18 May, Salvadorian security forces detained her at her residence on embezzlement charges and held her incommunicad...

Politics