The Irish national and former soldier, Lisa Smith, has been found guilty by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, of joining Islamic State (IS). Smith left Dundalk in 2015, bound for Syria. On…Read More >
human rights
Sport and the anti-apartheid movement: evidence from the archives
“Sport has the power to change the world.” These memorable words of Nelson Mandela will be the leitmotif for a conference about the role of archives in defending and promoting…Read More >
COVID-19 exposes the UK: Rights for All means Rights for Some
As stated by Professor Rosa Freedman, human rights belong to all people by virtue of them being human this is the first core principle of the UDHR. Yet more than…Read More >
Human rights around the world – here’s what we need to do.
Today is Human Rights Day; a day designated by the United Nations to draw attention to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That Declaration set out 30 fundamental rights…Read More >
Bolivia reverses years of progress with new draconian cocaine policy, supported by the EU
Bolivia has seen widespread public protests in recent months against the interim government, led by Jeanine Añez, which has twice postponed elections due to coronavirus. Her government has repeatedly violated its mandate…Read More >
Human rights, global wrongs
70 years ago today, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created as a way to stop the horrors of Nazi Germany from ever happening again. In this lecture, given…Read More >
Why the US left the UN Human Rights Council – and why it matters
Professor Rosa Freedman says bias towards Israel played a part in the US leaving the UN Human Rights Council. She examines the likely fall-out in a recent post for The Conversation. The…Read More >
Top UN expert’s resignation spells trouble for defenders of LGBT rights
by Rosa Freedman, School of Law, University of Reading Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN’s first Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has resigned after…Read More >
Armed drones in the ‘right hands’
By Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, Associate Professor in Public International Law, University of Reading A recent BBC news article reported on the development of a new, smaller type of armed drone…Read More >
Off with their head(scarves)! Should Britain ban the veil?
In light of the continuing debate on whether Muslim women should be allowed to wear a veil in public, Dr Amy Codling (Teaching Fellow at the University of Reading’s School…Read More >