31/12/2023
In an exclusive interview for the “Guardian” newspaper, the UK Director of transnational charity Human Rights Watch says that the government’s increasing assault on the independence of the judiciary, on any and all protest groups including Palestine Solidarity groups and ecological activists, as well as its attempt to wriggle out of international human rights law is a clear and present danger to the UK’s once proud record on liberty and justice. Yasmine Ahmed, who has been the UK director of HRW since November 2020, said the government indicating it could “disapply” the Human Rights Act to an emergency bill that will allow it to send asylum seekers to Rwanda – despite the supreme court ruling the policy illegal – is part of an escalating attack on human rights. Ms Ahmed said ““Rishi Sunak’s government must know that even scrapping the Human Rights Act will not prevent it from facing significant legal barriers to its Rwanda policy, but what we’re seeing is the UK moving towards a place where the government feels it can undermine the integrity of the judiciary, undermine or scrap human rights laws that don’t serve its current political agenda, and create new laws that do. This is a dangerous place to find ourselves in. This can start to look very much like authoritarianism.” LGBTQIA campaigners agreed, noting that many times in the past, our community has had to exercise civil disobedience and direct action to protect its human rights. And perhaps it will need to in the future as well. It is therefore very much a gay and trans interest issue. The warning from Human Rights Watch comes as the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights, expressed grave concern at the state’s repression of two activists from the Just Stop Oil protest group, who were handed lengthy prison sentences for taking peaceful direct action. The BBC News Channel says the activists were even refused permission to challenge the government in the Supreme Court, whilst the Lady Chief Justice Lady Carr, a rich aristocrat, crowed that she would send a strong message to anyone who dared protest. One LGBTQIA Politcs blogger said “Whether it’s nutty remarks about homeless people making “lifestyle choices” or assaults on transgender people, or harsh prison terms for protest groups, the government is trying to mobilise the hateful wing of the Conservative establishment before the next General Election”. The next General Election is widely expected to take place in Autumn 2024.
