‘Killer Robots’ and ‘Conversion Therapies’ – The Human Rights Round-up

14 April 2015 by

A scene from the 2003 film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

This week’s Round-up is brought to you by Alex Wessely.

In the news:
Military chiefs have criticised the influence of Human Rights law in a report published this week, arguing that the “need to arrest and detain enemy combatants in a conflict zone should not be expected to comply with peace-time standards”. This follows a series of cases over the years which found the Ministry of Defence liable for human rights violations abroad, culminating in allegations of unlawful killing in the Al-Sweady Inquiry that were judged “wholly without foundation” in December.

Killer Robots”: In other military news, Human Rights Watch argues in a report that there is a “dangerous gap” in legal accountability for “Killer Robots” – fully autonomous weapons which possibly represent the future of conflict. HRW calls on these weapons to be banned under international law, as “a fully autonomous weapon could commit acts that would rise to the level of war crimes if a person carried them out, but victims would see no one punished for these crimes”.

The ‘privacy versus security’ debate has also been in the news. Tom Jackson asks whether African governments can successfully tackle cybercrime while still preserving their citizens’ human rights. Meanwhile, Amnesty International are taking the UK to the European Court of Human Rights over the government’s “indiscriminate” mass surveillance practices.

Other news:

  • Keeping up the fight: Law Society President Andrew Caplen commends the Society’s “relentless lobbying”, but warns that more work is needed after the general election on the issue of court fee increases.
  • America: President Obama has called for an end to ‘conversion therapies’ for LGBT youths. The controversial therapies aim to “repair” young gay, lesbian and transgender Americans into changing their sexual orientation.
  • Malaysia: the UN warns that anti-terror and sedition laws “curtail human rights”.

In the courts:

The applicant, who was convicted of murder in 2004, has an IQ of 62 which places him in the bottom 1% of the population, and an understanding of English equivalent to a six year-old. In his original trial the judge allowed the jury to draw adverse inferences from his refusal to give evidence in his defence. This week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled this was not a violation of Article 6 (right to a fair trial). There was such strong circumstantial evidence linking him to the crime (such as a bloody knife and clothing found at his home), that the conviction was not solely based on his refusal to testify.

Cestaro was protesting the G8 summit in 2001. While sitting with his back to a wall and arms raised, Italian police beat him with batons causing multiple and permanent injuries. The ECHR ruled this amounted to torture under Article 3, and also criticised Italy’s criminal justice system for failing to bring the perpetrators to account.

The applicant is a divorced Iraqi woman and member of a minority Gnostic religious group, appealing a deportation order as she had previously suffered threats in Iraq.  The European Court rejected the appeal, as the situation had been resolved under Swedish law, but emphasised  that single women who are members of ethnic or religious minorities are at risk of ill-treatment in Southern and Central Iraq. The case is analysed here and here.

Other:

  • RightsInfo

RightsInfo – the new project set up by this Blog’s very own Adam Wagner, will be launched on Tuesday 21st April. An update on the project can be found here.

If you would like your event to be mentioned on the Blog, please email Jim Duffy at jim.duffy@1cor.com

1 comment;


  1. daveyone1 says:

    Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..

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Aarhus Abortion Abu Qatada Abuse Access to justice adoption ALBA Allison Bailey Al Qaeda animal rights anonymity Appeals Article 1 Protocol 1 Article 2 article 3 Article 4 article 5 Article 6 Article 7 Article 8 Article 9 article 10 Article 11 article 13 Article 14 Artificial Intelligence Asbestos assisted suicide asylum Australia autism benefits Bill of Rights biotechnology blogging Bloody Sunday brexit Bribery Catholicism Chagos Islanders Children children's rights China christianity citizenship civil liberties campaigners climate change clinical negligence Coercion common law confidentiality consent conservation constitution contempt of court Control orders Copyright coronavirus Coroners costs court of appeal Court of Protection covid crime Cybersecurity Damages Dartmoor data protection death penalty defamation deportation deprivation of liberty Detention diplomatic immunity disability disclosure Discrimination disease divorce DNA domestic violence duty of candour duty of care ECHR ECtHR Education election Employment Employment Law Employment Tribunal enforcement Environment Equality Act Ethiopia EU EU Charter of Fundamental Rights EU costs EU law European Court of Justice evidence extradition extraordinary rendition Family Fertility FGM Finance football foreign criminals foreign office France freedom of assembly Freedom of Expression freedom of information freedom of speech Gay marriage Gaza gender genetics Germany gmc Google Grenfell Health high court HIV home office Housing HRLA human rights Human Rights Act human rights news Huntington's Disease immigration India Indonesia injunction Inquests international law internet Inuit Iran Iraq Ireland Islam Israel Italy IVF Jalla v Shell Japan Japanese Knotweed Judaism judicial review jury trial JUSTICE Justice and Security Bill Land Reform Law Pod UK legal aid legality Leveson Inquiry LGBTQ Rights liability Libel Liberty Libya Lithuania local authorities marriage Maya Forstater mental capacity Mental Health military Ministry of Justice modern slavery monitoring music Muslim nationality national security NHS Northern Ireland nuclear challenges nuisance Obituary ouster clauses parental rights parliamentary expenses scandal Parole patents Pensions Personal Injury Piracy Plagiarism planning Poland Police Politics pollution press Prisoners Prisons privacy Private Property Professional Discipline Property proportionality Protection of Freedoms Bill Protest Public/Private public access public authorities public inquiries public law Regulatory Proceedings rehabilitation Reith Lectures Religion RightsInfo Right to assembly right to die right to family life Right to Privacy Right to Roam right to swim riots Roma Romania Round Up Royals Russia Saudi Arabia Scotland secrecy secret justice sexual offence sexual orientation Sikhism Smoking social media Social Work South Africa Spain special advocates Sports Standing statelessness Statutory Interpretation stop and search Strasbourg Supreme Court Supreme Court of Canada surrogacy surveillance Syria Tax technology Terrorism tort Torture travel treaty TTIP Turkey UK Ukraine UK Supreme Court unduly harsh united nations USA US Supreme Court vicarious liability Wales War Crimes Wars Welfare Western Sahara Whistleblowing Wikileaks Wild Camping wind farms WomenInLaw YearInReview Zimbabwe
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