On Monday morning, the Supreme Court will begin a four day hearing set to determine whether the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights extends to the activities of UK troops overseas.
JUSTICE has intervened in this case to urge the Supreme Court to find that the relationship between the UK and its forces means that they carry the protection of UK law with them overseas, including the human rights protections in the Human Rights Act 1998. The anomalies created by any other conclusion would be extraordinary.
JUSTICE’s Director of Human Rights Policy, Angela Patrick, said:
“UK Armed Forces are ordered around the world, wearing the cloak of UK law with them wherever they go. The Government is asking the Supreme Court to rule that there is a human rights shaped hole in that armour.
The Strasbourg Court has recognised that civilians may bring human rights claims against the UK in connection with the actions of our troops overseas. The logical outcome of the MOD case is that our forces could spread the reach of the UK courts but must remain outside their protection themselves.”
For further comment, please contact Angela Patrick on 020 7762 6415 (direct line) or apatrick@justice.org.uk.