Legal bid over David Miranda detention at Heathrow – BBC News
“Lawyers for the partner of a journalist are due back in court in a legal challenge to his airport detention under anti-terrorism laws.”
BBC News, 6th November 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: freedom of expression
Lord Chief Justice suggests using Skype and FaceTime in courts – The Independent
“Video-call technology such as Skype and FaceTime could be used to allow criminal defendants to take part in court hearings from home, the most senior judge in England and Wales has said. In his first press conference, the new Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, said the use of such applications could reduce the cost of hearings held in the run up to a trial.”
The Independent, 5th November 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Freedom of expression – nakedness in a public place – UK Human Rights Blog
“Mr Gough wishes to walk up and down the UK naked. Others do not approve of this, so his progress has been somewhat stop-start. This appeal concerns a brief and inglorious autumnal outing in Halifax. He was released from the local nick at 11.30 am on 25 October 2012, wearing only walking boots, socks, a hat, a rucksack and a compass on a lanyard around his neck. ‘He was otherwise naked and his genitalia were on plain view.’ He then walked through Halifax town centre for about 15 minutes.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 31st October 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Naked rambler loses high court appeal against public order conviction – The Guardian
“A man known as the ‘naked rambler’ has lost a high court challenge against a conviction for violating public order when he walked through a town centre wearing only walking boots, socks and a hat.”
The Guardian, 31st October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Press regulation: The 10 major questions – BBC News
“The Royal Charter on press regulation is expected to be approved later. What are the major questions that have defined the debate?”
BBC News, 30th October 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Newspapers seek injunction over press regulation royal charter – The Guardian
“Newspaper and magazine publishers are seeking an injunction to prevent the government’s plan for a new press regulation regime getting the royal seal of approval this week.”
The Guardian, 28th October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Press regulation: publishers seek judicial review of royal charter decision – The Guardian
“A group of national newspaper publishers have launched a legal challenge to the government’s plans for press regulation, claiming that ‘irrational’ ministers have failed to apply ‘rigorous standards of consultation’ over plans for a new watchdog.”
The Guardian, 24th October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Press curbs ‘will damage Queen’s standing’ – Daily Telegraph
“Politicians’ ‘repressive’ plans to regulate the press will undermine the country’s international standing and the reputation of the Queen, free speech groups have warned.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
UK’s top prosecutor defends journalists who break law in public interest – The Guardian
“Britain’s most senior prosecutor has launched a robust defence of journalists who break the law pursuing investigations that have a genuine public interest. Legal guidelines had been drafted, he said, to protect reporters.”
The Guardian, 18th October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Back to basics: why a public authority can’t be an HRA victim – UK Human Rights Blog
“David Mead looks at a case in which the Olympic Delivery Agency got an injunction against protesters: Olympic Delivery Authority v Persons Unknown. The ODA was a public authority, and the protesters were advancing defences under Articles 10 (freedom of expression) and 11 (freedom of association). Arnold J dismissed the defences on the basis that these rights needed to be balanced against the ODA’s rights to property under A1P1.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 17th October 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Libel tourism at an end, say lawyers following high court rulings – The Guardian
“Lawyers have heralded the death of so-called libel tourism after the high court threw out two cases brought by wealthy foreigners over allegations published overseas.”
The Guardian, 15th October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Internet trolls and why Strasbourg doesn’t want to get involved – UK Human Rights Blog
“This case concerned the liability of an Internet news portal for offensive comments that were posted by readers below one of its online news articles. The following summary is based on the Strasbourg Court’s press release.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 14th October 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Britain pays out millions to criminals after losing 202 human rights cases since 1998 – The Independent
“Britain has had to pay out £4.4 million in taxpayers’ money as a result of losing 202 cases at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg since 1998, figures from the House of Commons reveal.”
The Independent, 8th October 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Balancing the Niqab in the Courtroom on the Head of a Pin: the Case of D(R) – The Barristers’ Hub
“Professor Susan Edwards, following recent judicial guidance and debate on the wearing of the niqab, provides both expert and legal opinion on the issue.”
The Barristers’ Hub, 1st October 2013
Source: www.barristershub.co.uk
Niqab court ruling: a classic exercise in reasonableness – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
“In 1894 Edward Marshall Hall KC defended the Austrian-born prostitute Marie Hermann, charged with the murder of a client whose body she hid in a trunk. The jury acquitted of murder and convicted of manslaughter after what has become his most famous jury speech ending with, ‘Look at her, gentlemen of the jury, look at her. God never gave her a chance, won’t you?’ The personalities may have changed and the language less flowery but the basic principle of a jury trial is the same – we judge our peers on the evidence and that is the evidence presented in court. This includes our assessment of other human beings, not just what they say but how they say it.”
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 25th September 2013
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Veils in court – should they be allowed? – Legal Week
“The media have been riveted in recent days by a drama in Blackfriars Crown Court, where a defendant charged with intimidating a witness refused to remove her full-face veil or ‘niqab’.”
Legal Week, 19th September 2013
Source: www.legalweek.com
Doctors and nurses’ regulators asked to clarify guidance on face veils – The Guardian
“A government minister has asked the regulatory bodies for doctors and nurses to clarify their guidance on the wearing of veils after concerns that patients may be denied face-to-face contact with the person treating them.”
The Guardian, 19th September 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Veils and ignorance: defendant not allowed to wear niqaab when giving evidence – UK Human Rights Blog
“The ruling by HHJ Murphy in Blackfriars Crown Court this Monday that a defendant in a criminal trial should not be allowed to wear a niqaab (face veil) whilst giving her evidence has prompted calls for a public debate about the wearing of face veils in public more generally. Adam Wagner has already commented on the case here. A summary and analysis of the decision follows below.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th September 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Minister orders review of guidelines for health workers wearing full-face veils – The Guardian
“A review is being launched into health service guidelines on full-face veils to ensure that patients always have ‘appropriate face-to-face contact’, it has emerged.”
The Guardian, 19th September 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
