News

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. US slaps sanctions on top Chinese, Hong Kong officials for rights abuses

Five people are facing prosecution for allegedly threatening the judge who barred far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running in the 2027 French presidential election. Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis, who sentenced Ms Le Pen on Monday, was granted special police protection in response to o

Buskers who poorly perform the same songs again and again are effectively carrying out "psychological torture" and must be stopped, a judge has said. The City of London Magistrates' Court this week ordered Westminster Council to take stronger action against buskers in Leicester Square, the BBC repor

The Irish government has reiterated its support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the "cornerstone of the international system of criminal justice" after Hungary announced its intention to withdraw. Viktor Orbán's government yesterday began the process of withdrawing from the Rome

Solicitor Dr Muiris Ó Céidigh has been appointed to the Property Services Appeal Board. A governance expert, Dr Ó Céidigh previously served for eight years as a member of the Property Services Regulatory Authority.

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice has identified 21 individuals whose convictions have been quashed in response to the Post Office scandal. The Post Office (Horizon Systems) Offences Act 2024 automatically quashes convictions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for certain offences alleged

Cork barristers have raised over €9,000 for the Irish Cancer Society in memory of Jane Anne Rothwell BL and all their colleagues lost to cancer. The Cork Bar has raised tens of thousands of euros for cancer charities since Ms Rothwell passed away in 2018.

Personal injury claims have declined by more than a third in five years, according to new figures from the Injuries Resolution Board. The Board's award values report for 2024 highlights key trends from over 20,000 personal injury claim applications and more than 8,000 awards.

Hungary is to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), its government declared shortly after Viktor Orbán welcomed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest. The Hungarian government had already come under sustained criticism from human rights groups for saying it wou

The Law Society of Ireland has launched a survey of members to help inform its future priorities. All practising solicitors can expect to receive an email from Ipsos B&A Research inviting them to take part in the online survey by the deadline of Friday 11 April 2025.

A groundbreaking research project led by researchers at Ulster University's Centre for Legal Technology is to explore the role of AI in judicial decision-making. Researchers gave been granted £200,000 in funding from the UK's AI Security Institute to examine how AI could be responsibly in

Northern Ireland firm Wilson Nesbitt has appointed Neil Cahill as partner and head of dispute resolution. Mr Cahill joins from Fieldfisher in Dublin, where he was director of the litigation and dispute resolution team. Prior to that, he was head of disputes for UK and EMEA within ALT at Herbert Smit

Judges in England and Wales have been instructed not to tolerate defendants bringing their pets into court on the basis they are "emotional support animals". The Judicial College has told courts across the jurisdiction that equality law only requires them to admit bona fide assistance animals such a

A newly-established law firm has said it will shirk hourly rates for commercial litigation in favour of a flat fee structure which it believes will reduce financial risk for clients. Fenecas Law was recently launched by Larry Fenelon SC, who previously founded Leman Solicitors in 2007 and led its me

Landmark reforms to the governance and oversight of An Garda Síochána have come into effect. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 was commenced by justice minister Jim O'Callaghan today, establishing a number of new bodies.