Tag: Human rights
With Italy’s rescue operation for migrants in the Mediterranean being phased out, it is vital that Frontex is given greater support from EU governments
Italy has announced that its ‘Mare Nostrum’ operation, which has rescued thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean, will come to an end, although there is conflicting information over precisely when this will occur. A new operation led by the EU’s external border security agency Frontex, named ‘Triton’, has been launched and will aim to help […]
Why democracy doesn’t always improve human rights
The promotion of democracy has often formed a key component of strategies for improving human rights across the world. Courtenay R. Conrad writes that while this relationship between democracy and human rights is well established, in practice democratic institutions are not always capable of constraining human rights violations and in some cases may even make […]
“An opportunist piece of electioneering”: experts criticise the Conservatives’ Human Rights Act repeal pledge
David Cameron recently announced his intention to repeal the Human Rights Act were his Conservative Party to be returned to Government following the General Election scheduled for May 2015. Democratic Audit asked human rights experts to contribute their assesment of the idea, particularly in light of further details of the proposal outlined by the Justice […]
Devo-max could complicate David Cameron’s plans to repeal the Human Rights Act
The Conservative Party have recently re-committed to repealing the Human Rights Act (HRA) and replacing it with a ‘home grown’ British Bill of Rights. Meanwhile, discussion of what level of devolution will be afforded to Scotland in the wake of the ‘No’ vote in their independence referendum has been raging on. Here, Aileen McHargh argues […]
20 things we learned about democracy in September 2014
September 2014 was a big month for democracy, with party conferences and of course the Scottish independence referendum. Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin rounds up 20 things that we learned about democracy this month, and talks about the referendum and conferences, but also elections in the House of Lords, human rights, and KFC chicken. Similar PostsThe […]
Prisoners should be allowed to share the responsibility of democracy through voting
Prisoners continue to be disenfranchised, despite apparently being on the wrong side of a number of legal cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights. Helen Brown Coverdale argues that the Government should allow prisoners to vote, and that doing so would build legitimacy, benefit prisoners in their rehabilitation, and uphold human rights. Similar […]
The growing body of ‘right to die’ case law illustrates the issue’s growing prominence
The legal position of those who wish to end their own lives with assistance from another person has been consistently ambiguous, with politicians unable to come to a unified position, and the courts reluctant to take the initiative. Claire Overman takes a look back over the legal system’s attempts to deal with the issue, observing that […]
Globalisation has contributed to declining levels of religious freedom across the world
What factors affect religious freedom? As Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom and Gizem Arikan write, there is evidence that restrictions on religious freedom have increased globally in recent decades. Using data from a recent study, they highlight the role that processes of globalisation have had on this trend. The results indicate that globalisation is a contributing factor to the increase in […]
The ECHR’s upholding of the French face-veil ban sets a very worrying precedent for the freedom of religious expression
The former President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, instituted a ban on covering one’s face in a public area. It was interpreted as targeting the Muslim community, and since its implementation has had the biggest impact there. The case was challenged, and eventually upheld by the European Court of Human Rights. Daniel Barton argues that […]
The Good International Citizenship framework can be used to build an ethically-minded UK foreign policy
The New Labour government committed to including an ethical dimension in UK foreign policy, but was criticised for failing to meet the standards it set out to achieve. In many ways the Coalition government has sought to maintain New Labour’s commitment but has faced similar tensions. Jonathan Gilmore argues that foreign policy should reflect a […]
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