22/01/2019 | 19:32:45 The European Convention on Human Rights, by which we are all bound, states: “In the determination of his civil rights and obligations or of any criminal charge against him, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law.” That is a quote from Article 6. From that legal point of view, it is unacceptable that in some member States we are seeing a parallel justice system arise. Sharia justice is incompatible... 22/01/2019 | 17:42:11 When Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation, we saw how powerless sanctions were. Of course, those who suffer the most from economic sanctions are ordinary citizens who are used by political leaders to foster nationalism that ultimately strengthens the regime. The excellent report by our colleague Lord Donald ANDERSON advocates that member States should pass laws that would allow targeted sanctions against individuals presumed to have committed or ordered serious human rights violations... 22/01/2019 | 10:42:52 This is not a new debate, but it is still very topical, particularly in my country. It is presented as the panacea to every problem, but complex issues cannot be answered simply by yes or no, especially in contexts such as today, with so much populism and fake news being spread, as was the case for Brexit, so we have to be very careful how we use referendums. They are no doubt a useful tool at local level, or where people can fully understand what is at stake, but it is difficult at national...