Dunia Mijatovic, the council’s human rights commissioner, said on Monday that replacing the law with a British bill of rights would send the “wrong message”. The Human Rights Act (HRA) was directly incorporated into the domestic law rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which was ratified by all members of the Council of Europe, including the UK. Mijatovic, who completed a five-day visit to the UK earlier this month which included a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor Dominic Raab, said: “It is worrying that the proposed legal reforms may weaken the protection of of human rights. pivotal moment for the UK and sends the wrong message across the country’s borders at a time when human rights are under pressure across Europe.” While Raab supported the UK Bill of Rights as a restatement of sovereignty by reducing the influence of the European Court of Human Rights, Mijatović expressed concern that it would widen the gap between the protection of ECHR rights by UK courts and the jurisprudence of the European Court. He added that the changes had been proposed in a wider context of recent laws and policies that already heavily affect human rights in specific areas, such as the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, or in specific groups, such as refugees and asylum seekers or Gypsies. . Roma and Traveler communities. Mijatović also expressed concern about the impact of the repeal of the HRA on the peace settlement in Northern Ireland, given that the incorporation of the ECHR was an express commitment of the Good Friday Agreement. “It is important that this foundation is not undermined as a result of the proposed human rights reforms,” he said. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The Council of Europe, which oversees the European Court of Human Rights and is the continent’s top human rights body, has already reprimanded the UK over a plan to grant conditional immunity to people accused of murder and other offenses through the Northern Troubles. Ireland (Heritage and Reconciliation) Bill. Mijatovic also said the high number of children living in or at risk of poverty in the UK was “a serious human rights problem” and criticized public discourse about transgender people in the UK. “Contrary to what some are trying to suggest, protecting women’s rights and transgender rights is not a zero-sum game,” she said. The government has been approached for comment.
