Prepared by Vivian Ng.
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepares an overview of related news stories from the week.
You can follow the HRBDT project on twitter: @hrbdtNews. Continue reading
By Nigel Rodley
Editor’s note: This is the third of three posts in which Prof. Rodley examines the international implications associated with the British Government’s proposal to scrap the Human Rights Act (HRA). Part I provides background information relating to the establishment of the HRA. Part II addresses the ‘problems’ associated with the HRA, while part III looks at the international implications and possible scenarios.
Possible scenarios Continue reading
By Nigel Rodley
Editor’s note: This is the second of three posts in which Prof. Rodley examines the international implications associated with the British Government’s proposal to scrap the Human Rights Act (HRA). Part I provides background information relating to the establishment of the HRA. Part II addresses the ‘problems’ associated with the HRA, while part III looks at the international implications and possible scenarios.
‘Problems’ with the HRA
By Nigel Rodley
Editor’s note: This is the first of three posts in which Prof. Rodley examines the international implications associated with the British Government’s proposal to scrap the Human Rights Act (HRA). Part I provides background information relating to the establishment of the HRA. Part II addresses the ‘problems’ associated with the HRA, while part III looks at the international implications and possible scenarios.
Prepared by Vivian Ng.
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepares an overview of related news stories from the week.
You can follow the HRBDT project on twitter: @hrbdtNews.
Prepared by Vivian Ng.
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepares an overview of related news stories from the week.
You can follow the HRBDT project on twitter: @hrbdtNews.
By Ciarán Duffy
Approximately 5 years into the conflict in Syria, and in the context of over 60 million displaced persons worldwide, one of the most fundamental humanitarian challenges remains unaddressed: the need to reach refugees with the regular, timely, accurate and actionable information they need to survive, protect their families and make decisions affecting their future.
“Giving vulnerable people the right information at the right time is a form of empowerment. It enables people to make the decisions most appropriate for themselves, and their families, and can mean the difference between being a victim or a survivor.”
– Jonathan Walter, Editor of the 2005 World Disasters Report.
Information is essential in order for refugees to know their rights, understand what services are available and how to access assistance. Yet information alone is often insufficient to empower refugees. Aid organisations need to ensure information is delivered through suitable mediums, that trust underpins information campaigns, and that opportunities for feedback are also available to refugees.
Prepared by Vivian Ng.
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepares an overview of related news stories from the week.
You can follow the HRBDT project on twitter: @hrbdtNews. Continue reading
By Vivian Ng & Daragh Murray
On 16 May 2016, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which was established under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and provides oversight of public authorities in the United Kingdom (UK), released its decision in Human Rights Watch & Others v The Secretary of State for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office & Others (HRW v Secretary of State). The applicants claimed that UK public authorities unlawfully intercepted, stored and used their information and communications, thereby interfering with their right to respect for private and family life, and their right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This post will examine the Tribunal’s decision, and offer some suggestions relevant for consideration should further claims be made to challenge the Tribunal’s decision. There is no possibility of an appeal against the Tribunal’s decision, but complainants can take claims further to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and these issues have been laid out in light of that possibility.
Last week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced that it had selected Paulo Abrao to be its next Executive Secretary, the tenth since the establishment of the Commission. Reportedly, the Commission received over 90 applications for the post which, pursuant to Article 11 of the Commission’s Rules of Procedure, shall be filled by a “person of independence and high moral standing with experience and recognized expertise in the field of human rights.” Of the five finalists, Abrao (41), was one of the more inexperienced in numerical terms, with 15 years of work experience. He will also be the youngest Executive Secretary in the Commission’s history. The post is for four years, from August 2016-August 2020, renewable once. If he serves two terms he will leave office still under the age of 50.
