Government must stop unlawful returns of boats carrying migrants and potential asylum seekers

Government must stop unlawful returns of boats carrying migrants and potential asylum seekers

The ICJ drew the attention of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to the fact that between 6 and 10 May 2009 the Italian authorities intercepted some 500 migrants in international waters.

These people were trying to reach Italy in small boats. Italian authorities escorted them back to Libya, without taking due account of Italy’s obligations in relation to potential asylum-seekers or others who may not be transferred to Libya for reasons of non-refoulement, as stipulated in Article 33 of the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Italy-intervention SR Migrants-non-legal submission-2009

Governments must not impede courts’ disclosure of torture allegations

Governments must not impede courts’ disclosure of torture allegations

The UK government and the new US administration must ensure that the independence of the courts, and their ability to disclose information essential to accountability for crimes of torture, is not undermined.

The main threat is the withdrawal of intelligence co-operation, the ICJ said in response to yesterday’s Divisional Court judgment in R (Binyam Mohammed) v Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

UK-US-Governments must not impede courts’ disclosure of torture allegations-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)

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