There is a bill going through the United Kingdom Parliament which will make it harder to prosecute soldiers for war crimes. Is it justified? How will it impact on human rights? And why now? I am joined by Sonya Sceats, Chief Executive of Freedom From Torture and David Allen Green, solicitor and legal commentator for a fascinating discussion. Show notes are at www.betterhumanpodcast.com 

Better Human Podcast

37 - The plan to give soldiers immunity from prosecution for war crimes

From Monday 28 September anyone in England who breaches Covid-19 self-isolation rules is subject to fines of up to £10,000 and a potential criminal charge. The rules are complex, have been passed into law with no Parliamentary scrutiny and join an ever-growing, and ever-more-complicated, set of coronavirus laws which regulate many aspects of our lives. In this episode I explain the law and how it works. This podcast is also available in video format https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJxVenUfEzQ  Show notes at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

36 - Explaining the Covid-19 self-isolation law

Human rights can be illusory if you can't afford to claim them. For 50 years, law centres have been making human rights a reality and helping people experiencing crises to access a lawyer. In this episode, I am joined by  Peter Kandler, founder of the North Kensington Law Centre, Julie Bishop, Director of the Law Centres Network and Annie Campbell,  director of the North Kensington Law Centre. Show notes as always at www.betterhumanpodcast.com 

35 - Fifty years of law centres making human rights a reality

The government has admitted that a new Brexit bill will break international law. Its chief lawyer has resigned. Why does this matter and what, exactly, is the rule of law? I am joined by David Allen Green, lawyer and writer. You can see show notes at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

34 - Why the rule of law matters

I am delighted to be joined again by lawyer and writer David Allen Green to discuss six months of lockdown laws, passed with almost no parliamentary scrutiny and imposing the most stringent restrictions on human rights since the Second World War. Can these be justified by even the most extreme public health crisis in decades? And if not, what is the alternative? You can read show notes at www.betterhumanpodcast.com.  Nothing in this podcast is intended to suggest that people should not follow government coronavirus guidance or the legal regulations. 

33 - The Covid-19 lockdown and the law (part 5)

Right now, there is widespread and systematic persecution of the over a million Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim people in Xinjiang, China, including forced 're-eduction' in concentration camps. This is surely the kind of state behaviour which the post-war human rights system was designed to prevent. So what is being done to stop it and how can human rights ideas and institutions help? I am joined by Agnès Callamard, United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and Schona Jolley Q.C., barrister and Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee. Show notes at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

32 - What is happening to the Uyghur Muslims in China?

What responsibilities do businesses have to protect human rights during the COVID-19 crisis? In the second part of this episode I am joined again by barrister Krishnendu Mukherji to discuss the Leicester garment industry revelations and how companies can prevent human misery in their supply chains during this tumultuous time. You can catch the first part here https://anchor.fm/better-human/episodes/30---Business-and-human-rights-eglbid and get the show notes here www.betterhumanpodcast.com

31 - Business and human rights (Part 2/2)

How can businesses help protect human rights? What is modern slavery? Is the law tough enough on companies when human rights abuses take place in their supply chain? This week I am joined by Krishnendu Mukherjee of Doughty Street Chambers and Rae Lindsay from Clifford Chance. This episode was recorded just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the U.K. Show notes including some updates from recent months are at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

30 - Business and human rights

In this episode I am joined by Katrina Ffrench, CEO of StopWatch and Matthew Ryder QC, a barrister at Matrix Chambers and formerly London's Deputy Mayor. We discuss why Black, Asian and minority ethnic people  are 54% more likely to be fined by the police under Coronavirus powers, how this fits into the bigger picture of stop and search in the UK and what impact the death of George Floyd has had on the fight against racial discrimination in the UK. You can find show notes at www.betterhumanpodcast.com.

29 - Racial injustice after George Floyd

The police handling of sexual violence is one of the most complex and difficult issues in our society today. Why are rape conviction rates so low? Are the police doing enough to investigate? And how can human rights laws help? This week I’m joined by Harriet Johnson, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. This episode was recorded before coronavirus so excuse us they a couple of the references are out of date - please check betterhumanpodcast.com for the show notes.

28 - Women, sexual violence and the police

Can people who don’t live with each other have sex? What is “overnight”? And many other questions. I am joined again by David Allen Green as we take a detailed look at the newly updated lockdown regulations. As always, please make sure to follow the government’s guidance. You can find the two previous episodes with David here (Part 1 https://anchor.fm/better-human/episodes/18---The-Covid-19-lockdown-and-the-law-Part-1-ec8otc) and here (Part 2 https://anchor.fm/better-human/episodes/25---The-Covid-19-lockdown-and-the-law-Part-3-ee2oeo)

27 - The lockdown and the law (Part 4)

Every year, in every kind of setting where people are detained, thousands of visits take place to monitor for human rights violations. Those visits, to prisons, police cells, mental health hospitals, are by volunteers. In this episode I talk to four key players in the "National Preventative Mechanism" - Alison Thomson, ,Anne Finlayson, Dame Anne Owersand  Louise Finer who tell me about their work and why it matters. This interview was recorded before COVID-19 hit so I have added a short extra interview with Professor Sir Malcolm Evans,  Chair of the United Nations Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, who gives an update on how monitoring systems worldwide are working (or not) during the pandemic. More info at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

26 - The people who volunteer to go to prison

I am delighted to be joined again by lawyer and legal commentator David Allen Green to discuss the latest lockdown legal developments and what a public inquiry into the Covid-19 outbreak might look like. We had a spirited and sometimes critical conversation about the law but nothing is intended to suggest people shouldn’t follow government guidance. Follow the government guidance! Further resources at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

25 - The Covid-19 lockdown and the law (Part 3)

Human rights are tools which protect everyone from beaches of aspects of their essential humanity. They are all the more important in times of crisis such as in the present day. In this talk I start with the five years in 1946-51 which created the modern human rights movement and show how the lessons understood by the movement's founders are exactly those which we need to understand most today in the age of Covid-19. This lecture was first given to Limmud Together. You can find the slides at www.betterhumanpodcast.com 

24 - The shield and the sword

What is happening to migrants during the Covid-19 crisis? This conversation with Chai Patel from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants was both enlightening and worrying. The 'hostile environment' policy pre-existed Covid-19 but it made it harder to control the spread of the virus amongst migrant communities. We also discuss the disproportionate effect the virus is having on BAME communities, immigration detention and other aspects of the immigration system which are causing hardship during this crisis.

23 - The hostile environment and Covid-19

Can human rights make our societies better? This podcast explores the most important human rights issues of the day through engaging and accessible interviews with high-profile guests and straightforward guides to key concepts and key events. Presented by leading human rights lawyer Adam Wagner.

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Better Human Podcast

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