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Spain's coalition government has launched a legislative bid to end an amnesty for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture during the Franco era. An amendment to the draft Democratic Memory Law would change how the 1977 Amnesty Law is "interpreted and applied", without repealing it

Irish government proposals for payments to victims and survivors of mother and baby homes are "too little, too late" and pale in comparison to proposals north of the border, lawyers have said. Belfast-based KRW LAW LLP, which represents a number of survivors of mother and baby homes, Magdalene laund

A woman who allegedly tried to hire an assassin to kill her ex-husband through a transparently fake website called RentAHitman.com has been arrested. The website, which tells visitors it is "no longer affiliated with the Donald J. Trump, CIA, SIS, Diners Club, the Illuminati and Rudolph Giulian

Motor insurance premiums fell by seven per cent last year in the last full year before the introduction of new personal injury guidelines, according to new figures. The Central Bank's third National Claims Information Database (NCID) report on private motor insurance reveals that the average earned

Solicitors are upbeat about the future in spite of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new survey commissioned by the Law Society of Ireland suggests. The business recovery survey report, based on research conducted by independent consultant Crowe between March and May 2021, found that most solic

Alleged atrocities carried out by the Iranian authorities three years ago should be investigated by the United Nations following hearings in London, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has said. On 15 November 2019, following a sudden spike in fuel prices, peace

Hungary broke EU law by making it an offence for people or groups to help migrants and refugees apply for asylum, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled. The country erected a razor-wire barrier on the border with Serbia and Croatia in in 2015 as one million people, most of whom were f

Nearly three-quarters of all tenancies will see annual rent increases capped at two per cent under draft legislation published by the government yesterday. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021 will tighten the rent increase cap for tenancies in rent pressure zones (RPZs), though i

The High Court has quashed a decision of the Children Court to retain jurisdiction of a sexual assault case against a child defendant. The trial judge had decided to hear the sexual assault case pursuant to the provisions of section 75 of the Children Act 2001 despite the fact that the child was als

Delayed work to establish a dedicated mental health court in Northern Ireland will not resume until at least next year and possibly later, it has emerged. Scoping work on the pilot mental health court was "paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic", justice minister Naomi Long said earlier this month.

Research commissioned by Northern Ireland's Youth Justice Agency (YJA) will establish "if and why" children and young people from a Catholic background are more likely to be detained in custody. Around three-quarters of young offenders held in Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre are from a Catholic ba

A statutory public inquiry into mother and baby institutions and Magdalane laundries in Northern Ireland will take place as part of an "integrated truth investigation", the Northern Ireland Executive has announced. Ministers have agreed all recommendations in the report produced by the truth recover

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will rule this week on a challenge to the religious language contained in declarations required to take up the office of president of Ireland. A group of five Irish politicians – Róisín Shortall, John Brady, Fergus Finlay, David McConnel

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has come under pressure from US legislators to speak out against the UK government's controversial plans to end all criminal investigations and prosecutions linked to killings during the Troubles. A bipartisan group of 21 members of the US Congress, led by

A draft code of practice for legal practitioners on how to engage with and advise people who may lack capacity to make decisions has gone out for consultation. The Decision Support Service (DSS) has launched the consultation as part of its preparations for the commencement of the Assisted Decision-M