The Bar Human Rights Committee has welcomed the UK Government’s recent decision to reconsider asylum applications from lone child refugees with family links to Britain, following substantial public outcry from BHRC and many others. A written Ministerial statement by Robert Goodwill MP on 8 February 2017 revealed that the Government’s schemes to accept unaccompanied child refugees...
The Bar Human Rights Committee has published a statement of concern calling on the Turkish authorities to protect the fair trial rights of five journalists from the newspaper Taraf. Former Taraf editor Ahmet Altan, deputy editor Yasemin Çongar and journalists Mehmet Baransu. Yıldıray Oğur and Tuncay Opçin currently face unparticularised charges relating to terrorism and security....
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) expresses its grave concern over the recent arrest and prosecution of Pastor Evan Mawarire. Pastor Mawarire fled Zimbabwe to the United States approximately six months ago, following harassment and threats against his life. At the time, he was the leader of the #ThisFlag campaign, a...
The Bar Human Rights Committee has condemned the British Government’s recent announcement that only 150 further child refugees will be admitted to the United Kingdom, under provisions in the Immigration Act commonly referred to as the “Dubs Amendment”. The thousands of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe are at the forefront of the refugee crisis that...
The Bar Human Rights Committee has today written to the Turkish Constitutional Court, calling on them to urgently address the thousands of cases pending since Turkey’s abortive coup in July 2016. Since the attempted coup, no cases have yet been heard or resolved. 80,000 cases are currently waiting to be considered by the court, with...
Following the sad news of Professor Sir Nigel Rodley’s death on 27 January 2017, the Bar Human Rights Committee pays tribute to him. Professor Rodley joined BHRC’s Advisory Board in 2013. He was a valued supporter of BHRC’s work, and always there when needed to provide a calm, focused voice of experience and intellect. He...
The Bar Human Rights Committee and the Bar Council have today urged Prime Minister Theresa May to address ongoing human rights violations in Turkey when she meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, BHRC and the Bar Council highlight the systematic persecution of lawyers and judges...
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales has today joined international human rights organisations in condemning the killing of Syrian civilians during fighting in Aleppo. Yesterday, the UN Human Rights Office cited reports of 82 civilians (including 24 women and children) being killed by advancing government forces: many of them are reported to...
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales has expressed its grave concern over the arrest yesterday of prominent Egyptian lawyer and human rights defender Azza Soliman. Ms. Soliman was arrested by Egyptian police at her home on the morning of 7 December, following an arrest warrant issued by the investigative judge in Egypt’s...
The Bar Human Rights Committee’s 2014-15 Biennial Report has been published today. This report provides a detailed overview of BHRC’s recent work, including the development of anti-FGM protection orders in the UK, research into torture and sexual violence in Sri Lanka, statements and letters of concern over ongoing human rights abuses, and human rights and law...
The Bar Human Rights Committee is the independent,
international human rights arm of the Bar of England
and Wales, dedicated to promoting justice and respect
for human rights through the rule of law.