Scottish Human Rights Law Group

The following briefing paper was written by Zoe Picton-Howell  in June 2008 for the benefit of Scottish NGO delegates appearing before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and for the benefit of that Committee, when considering the implementation of the UNCRC in the UK. The paper highlights some of the difficulties faced by Scotland’s disabled children …

By Kasey Lowe
The Treaty event marking the opening for signature of the Optional Protocol on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural  Rights (ICESCR) took place on 24 September 2009.  Human rights advocates should celebrate the twenty-eight[1] signatory UN Member States who are paving the way for the ICESCR Committee to serve as review mechanism for individual complaints.  (See …

Optional Protocal for the International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights Treaty EVENT SET FOR 24 SEPTEMBER 2009
By Kasey Lowe
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[1] in December 2008 on the occasion of celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. 

By Kasey Lowe
One of the most progressive features of the Human Rights Council is the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).  The UPR was created by a UN General Assembly resolution on 15 March 2006.[1] The UPR is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years. 

by Gordon Junor, Advocate

INTRODUCTION
In their well-publicised decision (reversing the approach of the Court of Appeal) in Gentle the House of Lords, although with sympathetic comment, rejected the claim of the mother of a soldier killed by “friendly fire” seeking an independent inquiry as to whether reasonable steps had been taken to determine whether the invasion of Iraq was lawful under …