Tag: human rights

Letter: Assange must be protected

Dear Editor

Sweden is a country associated with the better side of human activity: it is a reputation to be respected and treasured.

Recent events around the situation of Julian Assange is doing harm to this reputation, which must be a concern for the Swedish people.

Included in this letter is an appeal to the authorities of Sweden in the UK to use their good offices to secure justice for, and the protection of, Julian Assange from others.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

MSPs call for police ‘cyber-kiosk’ rollout to be paused

Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Sub-Committee on Policing are asking police to stop their deployment of cyber-kiosks or ‘digital triage devices’ until there is greater clarity on the legal framework for their use in a new report out today. Continue reading MSPs call for police ‘cyber-kiosk’ rollout to be paused

New taskforce to lead on Human Rights

A taskforce will be set up to take forward recommendations from the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership.
The announcement was made by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Human Rights Day, as the group published their final report, with seven recommendations to ensure Scotland is an international leader in building a rights-based society.
Welcoming the report and its ambition for Scotland, the First Minister said: “I set up the Advisory Group to offer advice on how we can further enhance human rights, as I wanted to ensure Brexit does not harm human rights in Scotland and that we remain in step with future advances in EU human rights. I also asked for recommendations to ensure Scotland is an international leader in respecting and enhancing human rights.
“I share the ambition in this report that Scotland should introduce a human rights statutory framework and I support their recommendation that this should be done through public engagement, working across the public sector, civic society and parliament. As a first step I will establish a National Taskforce, early in 2019, to progress these plans.
“It is fitting that the report is published as we celebrate Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the signing the UN Declaration of Human Rights. I would like to thank Professor Alan Miller and all members of the group for their work and hope they continue to support efforts to deliver the human rights that will improve lives.”
The full report can be found below and is available online.

First-Ministers-Advisory-Group-on-Human-Rights-Leadership-Final-report-for-publication

“A state of denial”: UN Human Rights expert condemns UK Government

‘Poverty is a political choice. Austerity could easily have spared the poor, if the political will had existed to do so’ – Professor Philip Alston Continue reading “A state of denial”: UN Human Rights expert condemns UK Government

Book your place at disability rights conference

A conference on disability rights in Scotland

It has been six months since the United Nations (UN) Disability Committee published its report about disability rights in the UK. In this report the UN Committee set out its main concerns about disability rights in the UK and lists over 80 recommendations for action by our governments.

We are holding a conference to talk about the UN Committee’s concerns and recommendations for action on:

Tuesday 6 March 2018 from 10:15 am – 3:30pm

COSLA Conference Centre in Edinburgh Continue reading Book your place at disability rights conference

Have your say on Human Rights

How the Scottish Parliament ensures Human Rights are respected in Scotland is to be the subject of a new Holyrood committee inquiry. The Equalities and Human Rights Committee has launched a call for views and hopes to hear from as many people in Scotland as possible. In particular, it is seeking to hear from human rights experts as well as those with lived experience of fighting for their rights. Continue reading Have your say on Human Rights