Judge defends HRA in courts
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers stated that "respect for human rights is a key weapon in the ideological battle" that is the "so-called war against terrorism".
There has been growing hostility towards immigrants and asylum seekers from the general public, fuelled by the media. But yesterday, Lord Phillips who heads the Supreme Court defended the use of the Human Rights Act and recent rulings by courts, that terror suspects cannot be sent home to their own countries.
In what is considered to be a rare occurrence, Lord Phillips entered the political arena , by also hitting out at criticisms of judges for applying human rights laws — saying that they were only applying the will of Parliament.
And he defended their rulings that terror suspects could not be returned to their own countries, saying that “most people would be astonished at the amount of care, time and trouble” that had been devoted to that issue.
This is not how the rule of law works, Lord Phillips added. “The lesson of history is that depriving people of its protection because of their beliefs or behaviour, however obnoxious, leads to the disintegration of society.”
The rights in the European Convention on Human Rights, which are enshrined in the Human Rights Act, applies to everyone, he added in a lecture at Gresham College, in London.
“No one, however dangerous, however disgusting, however despicable, is excluded. Those who have no respect for the rule of law — even those who would seek to destroy it — are in the same position as everyone else.”
He also praised the enactment of the legislation by the last government.
The Conservatives had pledged to replace the Human Rights Act with a British-style Bill of Rights. But the coalition agreement published last month made no mention of that commitment.
About the Author
Antonia Torr is a graduate from the University of Leicester, with a degree in Law with European Union Law. Having enjoyed writing from a young age, Antonia has received numerous awards that act as a testament to her quality of writing. Why not pop in to a QualitySolicitors Branch today, or visit our website at http://www.qualitysolicitors.com to find the nearest one.
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