Last week Justice Treacy delivered judgements in two judicial reviews relating to the use of emergency-type stop and search powers under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007, which will be of broader interest to other policy areas too. The first judgement, related to the legal certainty test under human rights law, i.e. whether…Continue reading Stop and Search: legal certainty and dodgy consultation outcomes, two judgements of broader note
Category: Immigration & Asylum
Mr Muaza was deported
I am grateful to James Bridle for allowing me to share his description of deportation activities below. A BBC report also states that Mr Muaza has been deported. Our petition was sent to Theresa May and copied to OFMDFM but has, as yet, received no response. James writes of “immigration removals” in his post: “When…Continue reading Mr Muaza was deported
Theresa May’s deathly doublethink
We are confronted today with the Orwellian Doublethink of a Home Secretary who says, on the one hand, that slavery is hidden “in plain sight” across the UK today and that she makes it her “personal priority” to tackle it, and, on the other hand, that she will not release from administrative detention a…Continue reading Theresa May’s deathly doublethink
Stop Press! Two-day Colloquium on emotions and law at QUB today and tomorrow
A very exciting two-day Colloquium at Queen’s University on emotional dynamics, law and legal discourse, will be held today and tomorrow. The University has confirmed, this morning, that there are still places if individuals want to attend, with sessions starting today at 1.45 PM (but note the fee in cash or cheque of £25 for…Continue reading Stop Press! Two-day Colloquium on emotions and law at QUB today and tomorrow
Legislating for Article 40.3.3: Thornton on The Right to Travel, Reproductive Rights and Asylum Seekers
Author: Dr Liam Thornton, School of Law, University College Dublin I. The Right to Travel The thirteenth amendment to the constitution recognised that the right to life of the unborn, did not affect the right of individuals to travel, hence women and girls in Ireland may travel to access abortion services in other states. When…Continue reading Legislating for Article 40.3.3: Thornton on The Right to Travel, Reproductive Rights and Asylum Seekers
Human Rights, Procurement and Accountability
RightsNI is delighted to welcome this guest post by Elizabeth Nelson. Elizabeth Nelson is the Parliamentary and Campaigns Officer at the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM), an NGO working for human rights and racial equality across Northern Ireland. Her role includes coordination of the NI Assembly’s All Party Group on Ethnic Minority Communities, as…Continue reading Human Rights, Procurement and Accountability
Refugee Week 2012 Belfast
I am very glad to welcome this first blog post by NICRAS Advice and Support Worker, Moira McCombe, about Refugee Week 2012 in Belfast (18 – 24 June): World Refugee Day is an annual event which “is a moment to remember all those affected, and a time to intensify our support,” (UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon).…Continue reading Refugee Week 2012 Belfast
Securing Europe’s borders versus saving lives
Amnesty International charges in a new report (PDF) and campaign that European governments care more about reinforcing their borders than saving lives, and that they often endanger migrants by outsourcing security along their boundaries. Amnesty’s When you don’t exist campaign focuses on the plight of these ‘people on the move’. According to Amnesty: Last year, at…Continue reading Securing Europe’s borders versus saving lives
SERCO “asylum support services” contract bodes ill
Very worrying developments in Scotland do not bode well for the civil rights of asylum-seekers in Northern Ireland, following the award of a new contract for asylum housing to global multinational SERCO in both places. In Scotland, earlier this month, the organisation, Positive Action in Housing, has put out an urgent appeal for supporters and…Continue reading SERCO “asylum support services” contract bodes ill
Trafficking: A High Yield Crime in Pain and Suffering
Trafficking in persons “shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits…Continue reading Trafficking: A High Yield Crime in Pain and Suffering
Fatal reality of immigration policies of deterrence
Although it is a wonderful testament to human resilience and assistance to our fellows, that survivors from the sunken boat off East Java continue to be found and rescued, the loss of so many lives in this disaster points to inhuman law-making and failures of human hospitality and generosity. Press reports say that the boat…Continue reading Fatal reality of immigration policies of deterrence
Scrapping the Human Rights Act: The Northern Ireland Dimension
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has called for the Human Rights Act 1998 to be scrapped on the basis that it prevents the British government from deporting foreign terror suspects or those convicted of crime. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has also expressed his unease about the Human Rights Act and has stated: I agree…Continue reading Scrapping the Human Rights Act: The Northern Ireland Dimension