News & events
Human rights must be protected against the abuse of power
The way we protect human rights is under sustained attack. Politicians and the press, hostile to Europe in all its forms, peddle lies and distortions about the European convention on human rights, the Strasbourg court, and the Human Rights Act which protects convention rights in UK law. They allege that the system distorts justice, preventing evil people from getting their just deserts. - The Guardian, 16 May 2016
It hampers governments in tackling terrorism and serious crime. They decry rulings preventing deportation to a country where there is a risk of torture or the death penalty. They object when a court decides that bed and breakfast owners cannot refuse to accommodate a gay couple. They express outrage when our soldiers are made to account for complicity in torture. They accuse Strasbourg of overriding our sovereign parliament.
If the UK were to leave the EU after next month’s referendum it would remove crucial rights protection enshrined in EU law, but our fundamental rights would still be protected by the convention – the jewel in the crown of the 47-nation Council of Europe, often confused with the EU.
Read the full report here.