This short Bill is intended to amend two UK Acts to enable the Government to ratify two international agreements protecting military medical personnel and humanitarian workers. In line with the protocols, the Bill would firstly sanction and protect the ‘red crystal’ as a new symbol to protect humanitarian personnel in armed conflict instead of (or in addition to) the existing red cross or red crescent; and secondly extend the definition of protected UN workers to include those delivering humanitarian, political or development assistance in peacebuilding operations and those delivering emergency humanitarian protection.
Geneva Conventions and United Nations Personnel (Protocols) Bill [HL] (Bill 69 of 2008-09) (207 KB, PDF)
This short Bill is intended to amend two UK Acts to enable the Government to ratify two international agreements protecting military medical personnel and humanitarian workers. In line with the protocols, the Bill would firstly sanction and protect the ‘red crystal’ as a new symbol to protect humanitarian personnel in armed conflict instead of (or in addition to) the existing red cross or red crescent; and secondly extend the definition of protected UN workers to include those delivering humanitarian, political or development assistance in peacebuilding operations and those delivering emergency humanitarian protection.
Geneva Conventions and United Nations Personnel (Protocols) Bill [HL] (Bill 69 of 2008-09) (207 KB, PDF)
A Westminster Hall debate on Land rights for religious minorities including Baha’is in Iran is scheduled for Thursday 22 April from 1.30pm until 3.00pm. The debate will be led by Jim Shannon MP.
This short Library briefing paper discusses police powers in relation to unauthorised encampments. It also discusses current Government proposals to reform the policing of unauthorised encampments.
The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill 2019-2021 was introduced in the House of Commons in March 2020. It was introduced in the House Lords unamended in November 2020. Commons consideration of Lords amendments is scheduled for 21 April 2021. The purpose of the Bill is to protect service personnel and veterans from legal action relating to overseas operations. It would raise the threshold for bringing prosecutions, including introducing a presumption against prosecution after five years for alleged offences committed during overseas operations; it would create a hard time limit for civil and Human Rights Act claims; and it would require the Government to consider derogating from the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to significant overseas operations.
