Human Rights Flashcards
Rights of protected by ECHR can be divided into 3 main categories - what are these?
- Absolute rights
- Limited rights
- Qualified rights
What is an ‘absolute right’?
cannot be legitimately interfered with by the state
What are ‘limited rights’?
Can in prescribed circumstances contained in the articles themselves, be legitimately interfered with by the state.
What are ‘qualified rights’?
Can be interfered with if three requirements from subsection (2) of each article are met.
What are the 3 absolute rights?
o Article 3 Prohibition on torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
o Article 4 Prohibition on slavery and forced labour
o Article 7 There shall be no punishment without lawful authority
What are the 3 limited rights?
Article 2 Right to life
Article 5 Right to liberty and security of person
Article 6 Right to a fair trial and fair legal process
What are the 4 qualified rights?
Article 8 Right to respect for private and family life
Article 9 Freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
Article 10 Freedom of expression
Article 11 Freedom of association
Qualified rights can be interfered with if three requirements from subsection (2) of each article are met.
What are these 3 requirements?
the interference is:
1) prescribed by/in accordance with the law
2) in pursuit of a legitimate aim
3) necessary in a democratic society (proportionate).
Standing: who can bring a claim under s 7(1) of the HRA 2015?
a “victim” -> individual or organisation directly affected by human right violation
and, in some limited circumstances an indirect victim may bring a claim (e.g, close relatives of a deceased person where there is an alleged violation of right to life/ egregious enough violation.
Standing: can an organisation bring a claim under s 7(1) of the HRA 2015?
yes but only where the organisation’s rights have been violated; not merely on the behalf of others
Standing: what is the difference in the threshold for who can bring a claim for JR vs under the HRA?
JR -> ‘sufficient interest’
HRA -> directly affected
What is the time limit for binging a claim for JR vs under the HRA?
JR -> “promptly”, and within 3 months and no longer than that.
HRA -> 1 year; if continuing matter rather than a single incident, time will not start running until the violation ceases to operate
Who can be a defendant for JR vs under the HRA?
JR -> action is a public law action
HRA -> public authority
- core public authority or;
- functional public authority (carry out functions of a public nature)
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has developed key principles and techniques, one of these is:
- the concept of positive obligation.
What does this refer to?
The state can sometimes be under a duty to take steps to prevent the violation of victims’ rights at the hands of third parties (not of the state itself).
basically: more than simply not doing something/ interfering with HR
does the concept of positive obligation apply to all Articles of the ECHR?
Not necessarily
mainly been observed within the context of Articles 2 and 3 (right to life, right not to be tortured, subjected to human degrading treatment), but it can apply to other articles as well.
How do we assess the degree to which a public authority is under a positive obligation to prevent HR violations?
examination of the degree of foreseeability of HR being at risk
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has developed key principles and techniques, one of these is:
- the margin of appreciation doctrine
What is this?
in a nutshell: degree of deference afforded to contracting states
contracting states have a better knowledge of the political social and cultural traditions that influence their countries than the ECtHR does, and should therefore be allowed a certain discretion when taking measures that restrict ECHR rights (Handyside v UK).
Is state discretion under the margin of appreciation doctrine unlimited?
no
still subject to the ultimate supervision of the ECHR
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has developed key principles and techniques, one of these is:
- principle of proportionality
What is this?
balance of the general interest of the community and the protection of individual’s fundamental right
Do UK courts need to take into accounts decsions made by the European Court of Human Rights?
Yes
but -> “take into account” does not mean that UK courts must follow the decision; UK courts have in fact developed a higher degree of confidence in departing from ECHR case law (moving away from mirror principle)
Where a public body has violated a human right, what defence may be availble
statutory defence if its actions are either:
(a) required by primary legislation and the PA couldn’t have acted differently, or
(b) the public authority is acting in a way that gives effect to primary/subordinate legislation.
why: ensure parliamentary sovereignty is not encroached
Can courts strike down primary legisaltion where there is incompatibility with the HRA?
no -> due to the importance of parliamentary sovereignty
When is a declaration of incompatibility made
last resort -> where a s3 not possible(interpreting legislation to be compatible with ECHR)
What is the effect of a declaration of incompatibility?
- more of a political solution
- does not invalidate/ strike down the act
- cannot mandate a change to the law but political reasons mean parliament is usually compelled to amend