Parliament Buildings at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, home to the Northern Ireland Assembly PA
Parliament Buildings at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, home to the Northern Ireland Assembly PA
Parliament Buildings at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, home to the Northern Ireland Assembly PA
Parliament Buildings at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, home to the Northern Ireland Assembly PA

Northern Ireland Protocol Bill 'threatens human rights protections'


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

There is a “significant threat” to human rights if the proposed legislation to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol takes effect, a new report says.

The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is making its way through the British Parliament as negotiations between UK and EU officials resumed last week.

The bill would allow the UK government to effectively tear up parts of the protocol and is set to be debated in the House of Lords in the coming weeks.

Prime Minister Liz Truss, who drafted the bill as foreign secretary in May, insisted it is “consistent with our obligations in international law and in support of our prior obligations in the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement”.

But this has been challenged in a joint report produced by academics at the Human Rights Centre in Queen’s University Belfast and the Donia Human Rights Centre at the University of Michigan.

They said that despite assurances from the government the legislation “empowers ministers to undermine hard-won human rights protections contained in the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement and protected in the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated with the European Union”.

US President Biden warns UK not to damage Northern Ireland peace over Brexit - video

One of the authors of the report, Professor Christopher McCrudden of Queen’s University Belfast, urged the House of Lords to act.

“The House of Lords has the opportunity to fix this unacceptable and reckless unpicking of the protections that the EU and the UK agreed in the protocol to safeguard the human rights protections in the Northern Ireland peace agreement,” he said.

The Good Friday Agreement includes a section on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity.

In the study, the academics have voiced concern that the UK’s exit from the EU would weaken these human rights and equality mechanisms in Northern Ireland.

Nancy Pelosi warns the UK to respect the Good Friday Agreement - video

The report also finds that the UK government is “acting contrary to international law” through the introduction of the bill, unless it can offer a justification for this breach.

The authors contend the attempt to ground such a justification in “necessity” fails, providing no justification.

“There are neither political nor legal justifications for these actions. In particular, the UK government’s claim of necessity has no legal basis in general and none in respect of Article 2 (of the European Convention on Human Rights),” the report concluded.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg

Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports

The biog

Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus

Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India

Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes

Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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Specs
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SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)

AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)

Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

Sunday

Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)

Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)

Roma v Brescia (6pm)

Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)

Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)

Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)

Monday

SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)

While you're here
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport

Price, base: Dh5.1 million

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm

Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km

The bio:

Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.

Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.

Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.

Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.

 

The biog

Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children

She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career

She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence

Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The%20Mother%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Updated: October 09, 2022, 11:07 PM`