FACTS The two joined appeals concern alleged UK involvement in breaches of human rights by foreign governments. Mr Belhaj was an opposition commander during the 2011 Libyan armed conflict and is now leader of the Libyan Al-Watan Party. In 2004, Mr Belhaj and his pregnant wife Mrs Boudchar attempted to fly from Beijing to London […]
Prisons and Courts Bill: JUSTICE briefing
JUSTICE has produced a briefing on the Prisons and Courts Bill for the Second Reading. It addresses our initial concerns over the written and online processes created by Part 2, and the changes proposed to the judiciary and the Judicial Appointments Commission in Parts 3 and 4: For Part 2, there are a number of principles […]
What can be done about judicial diversity?
April 3, 2017
Ideas for achieving better diversity in the senior judiciary of England and Wales were discussed at a panel event, organised by the London Solicitors Litigation Association and JUSTICE, on Monday 20 March. In the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court there are only two judges who are from non-white ethnic minority groups, and only around […]
JUSTICE response: Reforming the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme
March 8, 2017
In March 2017, JUSTICE responded to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on reform of the funding scheme which pays advocates to defend clients in the Crown Court. The manner in which defence advocates are remunerated for cases involving mentally vulnerable defendants comes within the work of our Working Party on Mental Health and Fair Trial. […]
Apply for the JUSTICE Spring externship programme
February 28, 2017
JUSTICE invites applications for our Spring 2017 externship programme. This is an unpaid remote-working internship, lasting up to 6 weeks with a total commitment of 10 – 15 hours. The successful applicants will work remotely on a research project looking at digitising the existing court and tribunal model in the UK and will be supervised […]
JUSTICE response: Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison
In February 2017, JUSTICE responded to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ call for written submissions to its inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison, which was launched in order to establish whether a human rights-based approach can lead to better prevention of deaths in prison of people with mental health conditions. Our response […]
Call for nominations: Immigration and Asylum Determination Reform Working Party
February 21, 2017
JUSTICE is inviting members to apply to join our working party on Immigration and Asylum Determination Reform. The Working Party will look at the determination processes in immigration and asylum cases and how these might be reformed in line with the Government’s Reform Programme. We are looking for immigration and asylum practitioners, academics, user representatives, […]
JUSTICE joins calls for a moratorium on prison construction
January 27, 2017
JUSTICE Legal Director, Jodie Blackstock, is one of several signatories to an open letter, published by the Guardian on 26 January 2017. It calls for an immediate moratorium on prison construction in the UK and a national debate about how to build a safer society and secure communities. The letter reads: Wednesday’s opposition day debate […]
Belhaj and Others v. Jack Straw & Others
January 24, 2017
JUSTICE intervened jointly with the International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International and REDRESS in this case. The Supreme Court heard the arguments in the case from 9 until 12 November 2015 and judgment was given on 17 January 2017. The group of human rights organisations were given permission to intervene at the Supreme Court in Belhaj […]
Supreme Court rules torture and rendition claims against UK government should proceed
January 17, 2017
Leading human rights organisations have hailed a landmark decision of the UK Supreme Court to hold the UK Government accountable for its role in human rights abuses overseas. The country’s highest court issued today a long-awaited judgment in the two joined appeals in Belhaj and Others v. Jack Straw & Others and Rahmatullah v. Ministry of […]