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human rights
In its annual report on the state of human rights across the world, Amnesty
strongly criticised the British government for its attempts to dismantle the Human
Rights Act and a battery of new “draconian” legislation on refugees and policing.
“The Human Rights Act is the central pillar of rights and protections in the UK,
and it’s vital for the big justice fights we are currently facing.
“It’s the means by which we can challenge police behaviour, contest poorer health
outcomes for ethnic minority groups, and ensure a proper Covid inquiry. Scrapping
the Human Rights Act is an act of human rights vandalism that must be countered
at all costs.”
Deshmukh said the public’s recent outpouring of support for people fleeing
Ukraine underlined the need for the government to reconsider its hostile treatment
of asylum seekers.
It could also criminalise those attempting to claim asylum after crossing the
Channel, and could see asylum seekers sent to other countries for processing,
Amnesty warned.
Last week, the government won a series of votes in the House of Commons to
restore parts of the nationality and borders bill that had been removed after strong
opposition from the House of Lords, including plans to process refugees’ claims
abroad.
Migrants in the Channel. The nationality and borders bill could criminalise asylum
seekers coming from France, Amnesty said. Photograph: AFP/Getty
Amnesty also described the government’s police, crime, sentencing and courts
bill as a serious danger to the right to freedom of assembly and association, saying
it would severely limit public protest in the UK. People’s rights would be
drastically limited, with police powers to ban protests deemed too “noisy” or
“disruptive” increased, said Amnesty.
“The UK has set a very worrying reverse course on rights and protections just
when it should be standing up for human rights, not dismantling them,” said
Deshmukh.
Amnesty hits out at Tory plans to replace Human Rights Act with bill of rights
The report also highlighted the government’s decision to cut its emergency welfare
response to the pandemic of an extra £20 a week for those on universal credit,
which is expected to push an estimated 500,000 more people into poverty as the
cost of living soars.
Despite enough production to fully vaccinate the world in 2021, by the end of the
year under 4% of those living in poor countries had been fully vaccinated. World
leaders had instead colluded with corporations to hoard power and profit, leading
to deepening global inequality, the report said.
“While companies’ CEOs and investors bagged big profits, those desperately
needing the vaccine were told to wait. And die,” said Callamard
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/29/uks-draft-refugee-
and-police-laws-are-human-rights-vandalism-says-amnesty