By Olivia Dehnavi, Advocacy & Policy Advisor For six years, Nazanin Zaghari‑Ratcliffe was trapped in a nightmare far from home. Arbitrarily detained in Iran, separated from her young daughter, and subjected to prolonged solitary confinement,… Read More
By Malak Khalil, Advocacy and Survivor Participation Fellow With the Labour party conference underway, there is much scrutiny of the Government’s first year in power. Despite rare cross-party agreement from all four major parties that reform of consular assistance is needed, one manifesto commitment that has… Read More
State hostage-taking, where individuals are arbitrarily detained by foreign governments for diplomatic leverage, involves serious violations of human rights, including the right not to be subjected to torture and ill-treatment. It is widely accepted that the practice of State hostage-taking is increasing internationally. British nationals are among the most frequent… Read More
On 5 December 2024, MPs from every major party called on the Government to take urgent action to remedy the UK’s flawed approach to British nationals detained abroad during a backbench business debate in the House of Commons. The debate, led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, Chair of the… Read More
Submission by REDRESS to Australia’s Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee inquiry into the wrongful detention of Australian citizens overseas. The submission outlines REDRESS’s recommendations that the Australian Government assess its policies to ensure the protection of its nationals overseas from torture and ill-treatment, including consulting survivors and families… Read More
Ahead of the UK General Election on 4th July, political parties have been releasing their manifestos, including commitments related to foreign affairs and human rights. REDRESS notes that four major parties – the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Labour, and the Scottish National Party (SNP) – included commitments related… Read More
State hostage-taking, where individuals are arbitrarily detained by foreign governments for diplomatic leverage, involves serious violations of human rights, including the right not to be subjected to torture and ill-treatment, the right to liberty and a fair trial, and in some cases the right to life. According to the UK… Read More
By Olivia Dehnavi, REDRESS Advocacy Officer Cases of British nationals currently detained abroad serve as reminders of the pressing need to drive forward changes to better protect… Read More