Online Safety Bill : What to expect – BBC News
‘A report from a joint committee of MPs and Lords recommending what should be included in the Online Safety Bill is due in the next few days.’
BBC News, 6th December 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: freedom of expression
Boris Johnson ‘planning reforms which would let ministers overrule judicial decisions’ – The Independent
‘Reported move triggers backlash from lawyers, with one senior QC quoted as saying the prime minister is seeking a “more compliant judiciary”‘.
The Independent, 6th December 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Harassment arrest breached journalist’s human rights, ECtHR rules – Law Society’s Gazette
‘An arrest on a charge of harassment violated a British journalist’s right to freedom of expression, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled in a judgment likely to be contested by the government.’
Law Society's Gazette, 1st December 2021
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Judges and lawyers call for curbs on misuse of SLAPPs – Legal Futures
‘Senior judges and lawyers on a panel chaired by former Supreme Court president Lord Neuberger have called for legal reforms to curb “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPPs).’
Legal Futures, 30th November 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Supreme Court hears Kurdish flags appeal – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Three men found guilty of carrying a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) flag are appealing against their convictions at the Supreme Court, arguing that a ‘strict liability’ offence for carrying the flag of a proscribed organisation is ‘incompatible’ with their right to freedom of expression.’
Law Society's Gazette, 22nd November 2021
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
UK put on global watchlist for curbing civic freedoms – Each Other
‘A new global watchlist highlighting nations where there is a serious and rapid decline in respect for civic space has named the UK as a country of concern.’
Each Other, 7th October 2021
Source: eachother.org.uk
Civil liberties groups criticise Priti Patel’s plan to criminalise protest – The Guardian
‘Civil liberties groups have reacted with dismay to Priti Patel’s plan to criminalise protest groups, saying demonstrations are a “core pillar of any healthy democracy”.’
The Guardian, 5th October 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Patel pledges six months in prison or big fines for motorway protesters – The Guardian
‘Protesters disrupting motorways will face up to six months in prison or unlimited fines under plans to stop climate campaigners bringing traffic to a halt, Priti Patel will say this week.’
The Guardian, 3rd October 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Deceived activist Kate Wilson wins tribunal against Met Police – BBC News
‘An activist who was deceived into a relationship with an undercover police officer has won a tribunal case for breaches of her human rights.’
BBC News, 30th September 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Council Of Europe Criticises UK’s Treatment Of Transgender People – Each Other
‘The Council of Europe has published a report, adopted by a committee of parliamentarians from across the continent, which condemns the UK’s treatment of transgender people.’
Each Other, 29th September 2021
Source: eachother.org.uk
Conversion therapy delay frustrates campaigners – BBC News
‘A public consultation into a proposed ban on so-called conversion therapy has been delayed by at least a month, until possibly the end of October.’
BBC News, 25th September 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Will The Online Safety Bill Impact Your Rights? – Each Other
‘The internet is an untamed beast with sparse rules and regulations, so comprehensive moderation – whether desirable or not – seems an impossible task. Nonetheless, it is one with which the UK government is currently attempting to grapple.’
Each Other, 23rd September 2021
Source: eachother.org.uk
Law and the Culture War – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The judgment in Forstater v CDG Europe UKEAT/0105/20/JOJ has forced the courts yet again to grapple with the transgender debate. We have already seen the judiciary face up to the challenging issues of whether children with gender dysphoria can consent to receiving puberty blockers (see recent decision in Bell v Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust [2021] EWCA Civ 1363). In the present case, the issue was whether the Claimant’s belief that biological sex is real, important, immutable, and not to be conflated with gender identity was a “philosophical belief” within the meaning of section 10 of Equality Act 2010 (“EqA”).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 21st September 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
The Online Safety Bill Part 2: Do these proposals go too far, leading to overzealous policing? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘This post is the second part of two posts on the draft Online Safety Bill. In my first post, here, I detailed the mechanics of the proposed bill in detail. This post will summarise some of the civil society responses since the publication of the draft bill, attempting an evaluation of how reasonable those responses are in light of the available information.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th September 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Misconduct in public office – ECtHR reviews foreseeability of common law offence – UK Human Rights Blog
‘On 6 July 2021 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published its judgment in the case of Norman v UK (Application no. 41387/17). The case concerned Mr Robert Norman, an officer at Belmarsh prison, who in 2015 was convicted of misconduct in public office for passing a variety of information to a tabloid journalist in exchange for money. The ECtHR found that, in Mr Norman’s case, the offence itself did not constitute a breach of Article 7 ECHR (no punishment without law): Mr Norman’s conduct was sufficiently serious for it to have been foreseeable that it would constitute a criminal offence. The ECtHR also found that the newspaper’s disclosure of Mr Norman’s activities to the police, and his subsequent prosecution and conviction, did not breach his rights under Article 10 ECtHR (freedom of expression).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 6th September 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Ofcom clears ITV over Piers Morgan’s Meghan comments on Good Morning Britain – BBC News
‘ITV has been cleared by media regulator Ofcom, which has rejected a record 58,000 complaints about Piers Morgan’s criticism of the Duchess of Sussex.’
BBC News, 1st September 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The police bill is not about law and order – it’s about state control – The Guardian
‘Tucked away in the government’s 300-page police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, are various clauses which will have serious implications for the right to protest. The bill seeks to quietly criminalise “serious annoyance”, increase police powers to restrict protests, and give the home secretary discretion over what types of protests are allowed.’
The Guardian, 9th August 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Prosecutors review Extinction Rebellion cases as third protester in three days has conviction quashed – The Independent
‘Prosecutors are reviewing numerous Extinction Rebellion cases after a third protester in as many days had their conviction quashed.’
The Independent, 5th August 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Regulating content on user-to user and search service providers – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The dust has settled since the government released its draft Online Safety Bill. Now is therefore a good time to evaluate its aims, methods, and potential impacts, which we will do so in this two-part post. The first post will have a look at the overall architecture of the bill, discussing what it is trying to do and how it is trying to do it. The second post will survey responses to the bill from academics and civil society campaigners, discussing whether the bill does too much or not enough.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 2nd August 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
