Over 160 organisations call for respect for human rights laws

The British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and various local councils are among the 160 organisations who have signed an open letter calling for respect for human rights laws.

On the 66th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the organisations, which represent people from across the UK, have requested "those with power to reflect on the meaningful, often quiet, ways human rights make a difference for people in their everyday lives".

The letter from the British Institute of Human Rights continued: "From ensuring protection for people receiving care services and victims of crimes to equality for same-sex couples, our Human Rights Act is helping to deliver the promise of the UDHR in Britain; the promise that each person's equal dignity and worth is respected. The legacy of Magna Carta - which has its 800th anniversary in June - is that the exercise of political power cannot be unrestrained: it must follow the law. We hope that 2015 will be the year that those in power stand with us to respect human rights laws."

Director of the British Institute of Human Rights, Stephen Bowen, said: "Human rights are the shared values of the whole human family. Today, as people across the world celebrate the 66th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we should remember this is the inspiration for the European Convention on Human Rights and our own Human Rights Act.

"We hope those with power will see what we see: how our human rights laws are a vital safety net for us all, delivering on the ancient promise of Magna Carta to make sure that even the government has to play by the rules. As we approach the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, now is the time to champion the legal protection of human rights here at home."

Weakening protections

In October, Bowen described the Conservative party's proposals on the future of the Human Rights Act and ECHR in the UK as "little more than an act of vandalism".

"Our international human rights system is a precious one, and one which the United Kingdom has championed," said Bowen. "Our European Human Rights Court protects 820 million people across 47 countries, including all of us here at home."

"Born out of the horrors of the Second World War, the human rights system is a remarkable achievement. It is something to be proud of. It is very precious, but could be so easily unravelled. How sad it would be if it was the United Kingdom which began that process."

He continued: "The proposals for a so called Bill of Rights and Responsibilities are equally dangerous, and are clearly seeking to weaken the protections that we already have in our Human Rights Act. Since the Second World War all other democracies have designed their bills of rights to be compatible with international human rights standards. Reading between the lines the proposed 'British bill of rights and responsibilities' is designed to distance this country from universal human rights."

John van der Luit-Drummond is legal reporter for Solicitors Journal