Saturday, March 12, 2011

A betrayal of rights

A betrayal of rights

Turning justice on its head: The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

Today this paper reports how 200 foreign criminals, including killers, won appeals against deportation last year using Article 8 of Labour’s insidious Human Rights Act.

Sickeningly, the legislation allows them to claim their right to a ‘private and family life’ must override the fact they have abused this country’s hospitality in the most heinous way.

Not a thought is given to the victims’ families whose lives they have destroyed.

In Opposition, Mr Cameron was quick to recognise the havoc being wreaked by the Act, along with the European Convention on Human Rights.

That is why he pledged to replace the Act with a British Bill of Rights. Since then, we have suffered a string of verdicts which have turned justice on its head.

Strasbourg’s judges have intensified their demands for prisoners to be given the vote, and paedophiles have been given the right to demand removal from the Sex Offender Register.

Yet, ten months after the election, the panel Mr Cameron promised to review human rights law has not started work.

Sadly, all the indications are that this panel — stuffed with supporters of the Act, including its architect, Lord Lester — will be a sham. The Tory and Lib Dem members will never agree on reform and the issue will be kicked into the long grass for the rest of this Parliament.

Meanwhile, foreign criminals will continue to almost literally get away with murder, and faith in the British justice system will continue to be eroded.

Mr Cameron has abandoned many promises to keep the LibDems on side.

But — if as appears likely — he reneges on his commitment to limit the corrosive effect of human rights law, that would be the worst betrayal of all.

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