Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has called on the ACT Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years to an absolute minimum of 12 years of age. An 11-year-old girl recently appeared in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Children’s Court charged with offences relating to alleged violence against her carers. Due … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR), has expressed dismay at the Northern Territory (NT) Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw’s intention to send the Territory Response Group (TRG), a unit of camouflaged, specialised police with military-grade weapons, to target children in Darwin and Alice Springs at night. ALHR Vice President Kerry Weste said, “We are astonished that … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is concerned about the potential implications of the new expanded police powers under the Crimes (Police Powers and Firearms Offence) Amendment Bill 2017 which recently passed in the Australian Capital Territory. The Act has created a new offence of “drive by shootings” and will expand police powers by allowing … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has condemned the serious ongoing violations of the human rights of girls held in detention in the Northern Territory confirmed by the findings of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children. Anna Kerr, Co-chair of ALHR’s Women and Girls’ Rights Committee said, “The Commission’s report documents … Read More >>
Australia is the only Western liberal democracy without a bill of rights or federal charter of rights. Leading human rights lawyers are saying that the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday of an inquiry into freedom of religion in Australia and the current debate around religious freedoms in any marriage equality bill highlights very clearly our urgent … Read More >>
Human rights lawyers say shocking findings of NT Royal Commission should motivate Australia to strengthen international protections for Aussie kids. At a time when the protection of Australian children’s rights has never been more important the Turnbull Government is being called upon to sign a United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has expressed concern over the recent death of a man after a taser was used on him by ACT police officers. In some Australian states, due to their high volatility and danger, the use of tasers by police is restricted special operations groups. Despite the incident, the ACT Police … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is seriously concerned about the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. To help Australians understand what is happening to the Rohinya population in Myanmar, ALHR has conducted a legal analysis applying International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Criminal Law (ICL) to the conduct perpetrated by the Myanmar security forces. ALHR’s … Read More >>
The Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has slammed a secretive New South Wales Police program which disproportionately targets young people, particularly Aboriginal youth, for pre-emptive policing. ALHR Vice President Kerry Weste said, “The Suspect Target Management Plan enables any NSW police officer to place people, including minors, who have never been convicted of an … Read More >>
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to rule out an Indigenous ‘Voice to Parliament’, (as proposed in the Referendum Council’s “Uluru Statement from the Heart”) as “not desirable”, is erroneous and misconceived, says Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) President Benedict Coyne. ALHR calls on the government to reconsider this misguided position and instead embrace the … Read More >>
As the voting period on Marriage Equality comes to an end, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) are seeking to remind the Australian community of the human rights reasons to vote ‘yes’ before the cut off time of 6pm on 7 November 2017. ALHR LGBTI subcommittee co-chair, Nicholas Stewart said, “At present LGBTI couples do … Read More >>
“Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) strongly opposes proposed amendments to the Commonwealth Migration Act, which have the potential to further trample the human rights of innocent people in Australian immigration detention, thereby amplifying and aggravating their existing traumas” says ALHR President Benedict Coyne. “The amendments would allow dog searches, strip searches and warrantless searches, … Read More >>
