UK Supreme Court rules Guantanamo Bay detainee can bring claim against British authorities
The UK Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Guantanamo Bay prisoner held by the US can bring a claim in the English and Welsh courts against UK authorities. The detainee, Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn (Zubaydah), alleged that British intelligence services asked the CIA to interrogate Zubaydah and sent the spy agency numerous questions to elicit [...]
Imprisonment for Public Protection: 'The Greatest Single Stain' on the UK Justice System
In a distressing and seemingly interminable saga within the UK justice system, individuals sentenced to a mere two years have found themselves ensnared in unyielding decades-long stints of confinement—a grim consequence of the since-abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) policy. In 2020, Lord Brown, a former justice of the UK Supreme Court wrote he had “no [...]
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak won a pivotal vote on his Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in Parliament on Tuesday as he tries to push through his plan to send asylum seekers who enter the UK illegally to Rwanda. The bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons by 313 votes [...]
Editors’ note: Amid surging violence between Hamas and Israeli forces, JURIST is seeking perspectives from around the world. Neither this nor other commentaries in this series constitute JURIST editorial policy, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial team. The 21st century is marked by globalization and Americanization, with transnational law under US [...]
The Scottish Court of Session, Scotland’s supreme civil court, ruled on Friday that UK ministers acted lawfully when they blocked reforms proposed by the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. The Bill sought to allow people of Scotland to self-identify their gender and was passed in Scottish Parliament in December 2022. The UK government previously invoked [...]
Hong Kong court allows activists to appeal unauthorized assembly convictions
The Hong Kong Court of Appeal on Friday granted seven activists a certificate to appeal against their conviction of taking part in an unauthorized assembly. At the same time, the court dismissed the government’s appeal to the Appellate Court’s overturn of convictions of organizing an unauthorised assembly. Applying to appeal their convictions, the activists contended [...]
UK government publishes emergency legislation to declare Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers
JURIST UK Senior Editor James Joseph | King’s College London, GB also contributed to this report. The UK government published emergency legislation Wednesday that would declare Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers and push through their controversial deportation policy. Shortly after the legislation’s release, UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned stating that the bill [...]
The UK government recently announced a strategy to cut migration levels in response to increasing demands for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to address net migration figures. The Monday plan includes raising the minimum salary needed for skilled overseas workers and prohibiting care workers from bringing dependents to the UK, with the ultimate goal of reducing [...]
UK Home Secretary signs treaty to send asylum seekers to Rwanda
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly signed an asylum treaty Tuesday with Rwanda, in an attempt to overcome a recent ruling by the UK Supreme Court which blocked the government’s policy to send asylum seekers to the African nation. At a press conference, Cleverly insisted that “this treaty addresses all of the issues of their lordships [...]
Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws, KC, is one of the UK’s most established lawyers, a bencher at Gray’s Inn and a member of the House of Lords. Kennedy is also a broadcaster, journalist and lecturer. She has not only acted in many of the most prominent cases of the last decade but has promoted civil [...]
