Latest news with #EuropeanConventiononHumanRights
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Minister regrets 'clumsy' reference to Nazi Germany
The attorney general has said he regrets "clumsy" remarks in which he compared calls for the UK to depart from international law and arguments made in 1930s Germany. In a speech on Thursday, Lord Hermer criticised politicians who argue the UK should abandon "the constraints of international law in favour of raw power". He said similar claims had been made by legal theorists in Germany in the years before the Nazis came to power. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of "calling people who disagree with him Nazis," and urged the prime minister to sack him. A spokesperson for Lord Hermer said he rejected "the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives". But they added the Labour peer "acknowledges though that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference". They added that the speech was aimed at "defending international law which underpins our security, protects against threats from aggressive states like Russia and helps tackle organised immigration crime". In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, Lord Hermer said the Labour government wanted to combine a "pragmatic approach to the UK's national interests with a principled commitment to a rules-based international order". He said the approach was "a rejection of the siren song that can sadly now be heard in the Palace of Westminster, and in some spectrums of the media, that Britain abandons the constraints of international law in favour of raw power". Lord Hermer added: "This is not a new song. "The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes, but can be put aside when conditions change, is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by 'realist' jurists in Germany, most notably Carl Schmitt, whose central thesis was in essence the claim that state power is all that counts, not law. "Because of the experience of what followed in 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law, as well as internal constitutional law." Adolf Hitler became German chancellor in 1933. Carl Schmitt, a German legal scholar, was a supporter of the Nazi Party who sought to justify Hitler's policies in his writings on legal and political theory. The Conservatives and Reform UK have been critical of some elements of international law and the courts that enforce it. For example, some politicians from these parties have called for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), an international treaty which sets out the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in signatory countries, including the UK. Critics of the ECHR say it hampers the UK's ability to deal with migration issues, including deporting people who cross the English Channel on small boats. Badenoch, who has previously suggested the UK would have to leave the ECHR if it stops the country from doing "what is right", said Lord Hermer had shown "appalling judgement" in his speech. "Now he's calling people who disagree with him Nazis," she added. "This isn't just embarrassing, it's dangerous. Hermer doesn't understand government. "If Keir Starmer had any backbone, he'd sack him." Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice said Lord Hermer should apologise. "If anyone on the right of politics used his language, there would be outrage," Tice posted on social media. "He has shown himself as unfit to be attorney general."
Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Lord Hermer is preposterously wrong about international law
Lord Hermer KC has done it again. Delivering RUSI's annual security lecture this week, the Attorney General set out to 'depolarise' the debate about international law, before promptly comparing those who are open to withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) with Carl Schmitt, the notorious German jurist who joined the Nazi party in 1933. If Lord Hermer's intention truly was to lower the political temperature, and to help to broaden the base of support for the government's approach to international law, his speech must be judged a failure. Perhaps his choice of words was simply clumsy, as he has since said, although the text as a whole suggests otherwise. The Attorney's speech mentions Schmitt, and a Schmittian approach to the rule of law, four times, linking him not only to the Nazis but also to Putin's aggression against Ukraine.
Singapore Law Watch
a day ago
- Singapore Law Watch
S'pore has no jurisdiction over Audrey Fang case, can't prosecute suspect if he's deported: MHA
S'pore has no jurisdiction over Audrey Fang case, can't prosecute suspect if he's deported: MHA Source: Straits Times Article Date: 30 May 2025 Author: Aqil Hamzah & Samuel Devaraj The Ministry of Home Affairs said on May 29 that it has communicated its position to its Spanish counterparts, and that the Singapore Government would assist them within the ambit of Singapore's laws. As the fatal stabbing of Singaporean Audrey Fang took place in Spain, Singapore has no jurisdiction over the alleged murder, and thus would not be able to investigate or prosecute Singaporean suspect Mitchell Ong if he were to be deported. This follows the news on May 28 that an attempt to deport the 44-year-old by Spanish immigration authorities had been rejected by a Spanish court. In response to queries, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on May 29 that it has communicated its position to its Spanish counterparts, and that the Singapore Government would assist them within the ambit of Singapore's laws. Law enforcement agencies there, meanwhile, have told the ministry that they are currently prosecuting Ong in Spain. News of the deportation request being blocked was first reported by Spanish daily La Opinion de Murcia on May 28. The deportation request was made by Spain's General Commissariat for Aliens and Borders, a national police agency that manages immigration and border control matters, and was supported by the lawyer representing Ms Fang's family. However, a judge ruled that Ong did not meet the criteria outlined in Spain's laws pertaining to the expulsion of foreigners, one of which states that immediate deportation can take place if an individual has been charged with a crime and is given a jail sentence of fewer than six years, or is given an alternate sentence, such as a fine. As the minimum jail sentence for Ong's potential murder charge is 15 years, the former insurance agent does not meet this criterion. Ong's lawyer, Ms Maria Jesus Ruiz de Castaneda, had told The Straits Times earlier in May that she is opposing the request. The Spanish immigration authority had also requested that Ong be banned from returning to Spain for 10 years, if the deportation had gone through. Ms Ruiz de Castaneda had earlier told Spanish media that an expulsion would be a violation of the rule of law and international treaties Spain has signed and ratified. 'He is involved in ongoing criminal proceedings in Spain, where he must be tried with due process,' she said. 'Expulsion would be contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, the principle of non-refoulement and Spain's commitments against the death penalty.' She had previously called for the case to be dismissed, saying that all necessary evidence had to be examined and that Ong 'firmly and consistently' insisted he did not kill Ms Fang. Ms Fang, a 39-year-old architect, was found dead near a parking space for lorries in the town of Abanilla on April 10, 2024. She left Singapore on April 4 to travel alone to Xabia in the Valencia region of Spain, and was supposed to return eight days later, but became uncontactable on April 10. Her body was found with knife wounds and head trauma. Ong was arrested six days later. Testimonies from two of Ms Fang's friends on June 26, 2024, said Ms Fang and Ong had met on a social dating network. Her family's lawyer said she had told her friends she was meeting Ong during her holiday in Spain. In March, La Opinion reported that DNA from two men was found on her clothes, raising the possibility that more than one person was involved in her death. Ong, meanwhile, was also found to have been nominated as the sole beneficiary of Ms Fang's Central Provident Fund savings, with the accounts reportedly containing about $498,000. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian FSB kidnaps Ukrainian in occupied Crimea
Ukrainian citizen Serhii Hrishchenkov has disappeared in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol (Crimea). He was detained and taken away in an unknown direction by people who identified themselves as Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Details: Lubinets said that he was contacted by Hrishchenkov's daughter. The detention took place on the night of 6-7 May, and there is still no information about Hrishchenkov's fate or whereabouts. Quote: "These are not isolated cases on the territory of the temporarily occupied peninsula, where people are basically being kidnapped by unknown individuals posing as employees of the Russian Federal Security Service." Serhii Hrishchenkov. Photo: Lubinets Details: Lubinets stressed that such actions are a gross violation of international law, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights: Articles 9.2, 9.4 and 14.2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Articles 5.2 and 5.3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. These documents guarantee detainees and their families the right to receive information about the grounds for detention, their legal status and place of detention. Dmytro Lubinets has already appealed to Tatyana Moskalkova, Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation, demanding that she provide objective information about Hrishchenko's status and whereabouts. Quote: "This case involving a Ukrainian citizen once again demonstrates the inability of the occupation administration to ensure the implementation of international civil and political rights for residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea. Cynicism and human rights violations have become commonplace for thousands of Ukrainian citizens!" Background: On 18 May, the Mejlis (parliament) of the Crimean Tatar People stated that Russia's current policy in occupied Crimea is a direct continuation of Soviet genocidal practices. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
New Paper
2 days ago
- New Paper
Audrey Fang case: Spanish judge blocks suspect's deportation to S'pore over death penalty concerns
An attempt by Spanish immigration authorities to deport Mitchell Ong, the suspect in the fatal stabbing of fellow Singaporean Audrey Fang in Spain, was blocked by a local court over death penalty concerns. As such, it is unlikely for the 44-year-old to face the death penalty if charged with murder, as a murder charge in Spain carries a jail sentence ranging from 15 years to 25 years. News of the deportation request being blocked was first reported by Spanish daily La Opinion de Murcia on May 28. The deportation request was made by Spain's General Commissariat for Aliens and Borders, a national police agency that manages immigration and border control matters, and was supported by the lawyer representing Ms Fang's family. However, a judge ruled that Ong did not meet the criteria outlined in Spain's laws pertaining to the expulsion of foreigners, one of which states that immediate deportation can take place if an individual has been charged with a crime and is given a jail sentence of fewer than six years, or given an alternate sentencing, such as a fine. As the minimum jail sentence for Ong's potential murder charge is 15 years, he does not meet this criterion. Ong's lawyer, Ms Maria Jesus Ruiz de Castaneda, had told The Straits Times earlier in May that she is opposing the request. If the deportation had gone through, the Spanish immigration authority had also requested that Ong be banned from returning to Spain for 10 years. Ms Ruiz de Castaneda had also earlier told Spanish media that an expulsion would be a violation of the rule of law and international treaties Spain has signed and ratified. "He is involved in ongoing criminal proceedings in Spain, where he must be tried with due process," she said. "Expulsion would be contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, the principle of non-refoulement and Spain's commitments against the death penalty." She had previously called for the case to be dismissed, saying all necessary evidence had to be examined and that Ong "firmly and consistently" insisted he did not kill Ms Fang. The 39-year-old architect was found dead near a parking lot for lorries in the town of Abanilla on April 10, 2024. She left Singapore on April 4 to travel alone to Xabia in the Valencia region of Spain, and was supposed to return eight days later, but became uncontactable on April 10. Her body was found with knife wounds and head trauma. Ong was arrested six days later. Testimonies from two of Ms Fang's friends on June 26, 2024, said that Ms Fang and Ong had met on a social dating network, with her family's lawyer saying that she had told her friends she was meeting the former insurance agent during her holiday in Spain. In March, La Opinion reported that DNA from two men was found on her clothes, raising the possibility that more than one person was involved in her death. Ong meanwhile was also found to have been nominated as the sole beneficiary of Ms Fang's Central Provident Fund savings, with the accounts reportedly containing about $498,000. ST has contacted the Ministry of Home Affairs for comment.
