Conference on "Fifty Years of Our Right to Apply to Strasbourg" in the UK

I am pleased to be participating in the following conference, to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK recognising the right of individual petition to the European Commission of Human Rights and subsequently the European Court of Human Rights.

The conference is organised by Professor Robert Wintemute and will be held at King's College London.

FIFTY YEARS OF OUR RIGHT TO APPLY TO STRASBOURG:

THE PAST (1966-2016) AND FUTURE OF

ACCESS TO THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM

Thursday, 14 January 2016

Edmond J Safra Lecture Theatre, King's Building (ground floor), Strand Campus

9:30-10:00 am - Registration and coffee

10:00-10:30 am - Opening remarks by the Director of the Centre of European Law

Takis Tridimas, Professor of European Law, King's College London

Opening remarks by the Chair of the conference

Sir Nicolas Bratza, Member of the European Commission of Human Rights (1993-98), Judge (1998-2012) and President (2011-12) of the European Court of Human Rights

50th birthday ceremony

Sir Nicolas will cut a birthday cake to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK's 14 January 1966 "Declarations ... recognising the competence of the European Commission of Human Rights to receive individual petitions and recognising as compulsory the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights".

10:30 am-12:30 pm - Should our right to apply to Strasbourg be preserved?  Perspectives from civil society

Nuala Mole, founder of the AIRE Centre (Advice on Individual Rights in Europe)

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty (National Council for Civil Liberties)

Philip Leach, Professor of Human Rights Law, Middlesex University, Director of EHRAC (European Human Rights Advocacy Centre)

David Anderson QC, Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

12:30-1:30 pm - Lunch

1:30-3:00 pm - Should our right to apply to Strasbourg be preserved? Perspectives from the UK Parliament [and the Ministry of Justice]

THE CONSERVATIVES’ PROPOSALS FOR CHANGING BRITAIN’S HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS (3 October 2014):  "... Every judgement that UK law is incompatible with the Convention will be treated as advisory ... During the passage of the British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, we will engage with the Council of Europe, and seek recognition that our approach [judgments are binding on 46 member states but not the UK] is a legitimate way of applying the Convention.  In the event that we are unable to reach that agreement, the UK would be left with no alternative but to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, at the point at which our Bill comes into effect."

Lord Anthony Lester QC, counsel to the UK's first applicants to Strasbourg

Dominic Grieve QC MP, former Attorney General

Keir Starmer QC MP, former Director of Public Prosecutions

[Dominic Raab MP, Minister for Human Rights since May 2015, is unable to attend, but has been invited to send a representative of the Ministry of Justice]

3:00-3:30 pm - Coffee

3:30-5:00 pm - Should our right to apply to Strasbourg be preserved?  Perspectives from academia

Paul Johnson, Professor of Sociology, University of York

Bill Bowring, Professor of Law, Birkbeck, University of London

Elspeth Guild, Professor of Law, Queen Mary, University of London and Radboud University Nijmegen

Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law, London School of Economics

5:00-5:30 pm - Closing remarks

Robert Wintemute, Professor of Human Rights Law, King's College London

5:30-6:30 pm - Reception

To reserve your place please click here