The UK and Global Freedom of Religion or Belief
The briefing sets out international commitments on freedom of religion or belief, reports of discrimination, and UK international work on the issue.

The UK has universal jurisdiction under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 (and other legislation) for a limited number of serious international crimes. It also has an obligation under international law to prosecute or extradite those suspected of war crimes or torture anywhere in the world. There are few such prosecutions in the UK but arrest warrants have been sought for private prosecutions. The Government is consulting on a change to the law on private prosecutions for universal jurisdiction offences, and the UN is conducting a review of the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction.
Universal jurisdiction (132 KB , PDF)
The UK has universal jurisdiction under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 (and other legislation) for a limited number of serious international crimes. It also has an obligation under international law to prosecute or extradite those suspected of war crimes or torture anywhere in the world. There are few such prosecutions in the UK but arrest warrants have been sought for private prosecutions. The Government is consulting on a change to the law on private prosecutions for universal jurisdiction offences, and the UN is conducting a review of the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction.
Universal jurisdiction (132 KB , PDF)
The briefing sets out international commitments on freedom of religion or belief, reports of discrimination, and UK international work on the issue.
The Controlled Drugs (Procedure for Specification) Bill 2024-2025 had its second reading on Friday 7 March 2025. It was considered by a Public Bill Committee on 25 June 2025 and report stage is scheduled for 11 July 2025. This is a private members' bill.
On 9 March, following Justin Trudeau's resignation, Mark Carney was elected leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister of Canada. He soon called a snap federal election for 28 April.