Court of Appeal affirms role for domestic courts in UK torture claims
High Court bar on Abdul-Hakim Belhaj and Fatima Bouchar pursuing claim against UK officials allegedly involved in their abduction and illegal transfer to Libya is overturned.
NGOs urge Court of Appeal to preserve access to justice to torture victims in UK rendition case
From Monday 21 July the Court of Appeal will hear the case of Abdul-Hakim Belhaj and Other v. Jack Straw & Others.
It involves a damages claim by a Libyan couple against former and current UK officials for their alleged complicity in the claimants’ torture and illegal transfer to Libya’s Gaddafi regime.
The ICJ, Amnesty International, JUSTICE and REDRESS intervened jointly in this case, which may set an important precedent for future claims brought by torture victims.
The full press release can be downloaded here:
UK-Belhaj Rendition case-news-press release-2014 (full text in pdf)
Justice Sir Nicolas Bratza and Professor César Landa join the ICJ
The ICJ is delighted to announce that two new Commissioners were elected in December 2013: Justice Sir Nicolas Bratza (UK) and Professor César Landa (Peru).
Justice Sir Nicolas Bratza is a former President of the European Court of Human Rights. His term on the court ended on 31 October 2012, and he resigned as a Justice of the High Court on 1 November 2012.
Professor César Landa is the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Prior to this, Processor Landa was the President of the Constitutional Court of Peru. He also served as a Judge on the Constitutional Court.
In a year of significant change within the ICJ Commission, Justice Bratza and Professor Landa are the 14th and 15th new members to join the Commission in 2013.
Biographies for all our Commissioners can be found here.
Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, A/HRC/24/52/Add.1, 5 August 2013: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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