University News Last updated 27 September 2019
Researchers at Birmingham City University have today (Friday 27 September) submitted a report to the United Nations urging the US to enhance its implementation of international human rights.
The report is submitted to the Universal Periodic Review, first created in 2006 by the UN to be a universal mechanism for appraising all 193 UN member states’ protection and promotion of human rights.
Academics at the University’s School of Law have produced a Stakeholder Report, focusing on capital punishment, climate change, and the compassionate release of prisoners.
Submitted by the University’s Centre for Human Rights, through its ‘UPR Project at BCU’, the report draws on research undertaken by academics in the School of Law, supported by undergraduate and postgraduate students. The submission is a collaboration with the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in New York.
The death penalty section of the report highlights the case of Linda Carty, a British grandmother who has spent more than 15 years on death row in Texas, after being convicted of the murder of her neighbour, but who has always maintained her innocence.
“One of our recommendations to the US is that foreign nationals, like Linda Carty, who are charged with a capital offence, should be informed of their right to consular assistance and those who have had this right violated should have their sentences commuted or be granted a retrial,” said Professor Jon Yorke, Director of the Centre for Human Rights at Birmingham City University.
The report makes observations about the compassionate release of prisoners who are suffering from ill health, stating that the US should establish research-informed compassionate release procedures, to support the realisation of its international and domestic responsibilities.
The report also considers the position of the US regarding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, calling upon the US to reinstate its global leadership on climate change and retract its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, scheduled for November 2020.
“This report has been submitted with a view to bridging the gap between academic research and human rights practice,” stated Dr Alice Storey, Lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University and Academic Lead of the UPR Project at BCU.