Today, seven justices of the Supreme Court unanimously reject an attempt by the Ministry of Defence to legally exclude armed forces personnel operating overseas from the protection of the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA 1998”). In Smith & Others v Ministry of Defence, families of troops killed in Iraq during operations asked the Supreme Court […]
JUSTICE calls for Government to publish torture inquiry findings
June 10, 2013
JUSTICE, together with other NGOs, wrote to the national press to highlight the critical recommendations of the UN Committee against Torture on the UK’s recent record. The Government must take heed of the Committee’s recommendation that the interim findings of the Gibson inquiry on the treatment of detainees should be published as soon as possible. […]
Legal aid: Vulnerable will suffer most if access to justice and a fair defence for all withdrawn says JUSTICE
June 5, 2013
JUSTICE considers that the proposals in Transforming Legal Aid are rushed, ill-considered and unsupported by evidence. We regret that less than a year after the implementation of the last reforms in Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (“LASPO”), the Government is proposing a series of changes which fail to consider the important […]
JUSTICE urges Peers to reject Government rewrite of the Secret Courts Bill
March 25, 2013
JUSTICE considers that that the operation of CMP is inherently unfair and that normalising the use of these controversial and previously exceptional hearings will undermine the credibility of our judges and public confidence in the civil justice system. Allowing one party – usually the Government – to present its case to the Court largely unchallenged […]
Justice and Security Bill: JUSTICE urges MPs to act now to stop the expansion of Secret Evidence
March 1, 2013
Monday afternoon will see the Justice and Security Bill return to the House of Commons for some key votes. The “Secret Courts” Bill would introduce closed material procedures (CMP) – where one party is excluded from a claim, together with his or her legal team, from part or all of a case, their interests represented […]
JUSTICE urges Supreme Court to extend human rights protection to UK troops
February 15, 2013
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 […]
JUSTICE and others condemn Government’s rewrite of the Secret Courts Bill
February 6, 2013
Today, JUSTICE joins together with other leading human rights organisations, Amnesty, Liberty and Reprieve, to regret the Government’s decision to reverse cross-party changes to the Justice and Security Bill made in the House of Lords. JUSTICE considers that the expansion of closed material procedures (or CMP) remains unfair, unnecessary and unjustified. That Ministers reject the […]
Supreme Court reaffirms ancient right to liberty
October 31, 2012
Today, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court reaffirms the importance of the ancient common law writ of habeas corpus. Mr Rahmatullah, was captured by UK forces in Iraq and handed over to US forces in 2004, in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the US governing the transfer of prisoners. […]