Civil liberties - new material (44)
01 May 2001
We should be outraged by these DNA databases, Helena Kennedy. Guardian 14.5.01, p20.
The Labour peer and president of the Civil Liberties Trust condemns the government's DNA legislation, which has "been rushed through parliament without adequate parliamentary discussion or public debate." The Bill will, observes Kennedy, "allow the authorities to take DNA from virtually everyone who is arrested...The DNA will remain in the database forever, even if the person is acquitted of any crime." Kennedy argues that it is "essential" that "an independent body is established to hold the DNA samples and access should be allowed only on application, with any abuse of genetic information being treated as a criminal offence."
Staatsgewalt gegen rechts? [State authority against the right?] CILIP Nr.1/2001, ISSN 0932?5409, pp 4?65.
Eight contributors with a civil liberties, legal and parliamentary backgrounds discuss the issue of Germany's response over the past year to far?right extremism. They point out the profound consequences for civil liberties in particular when banning political parties. This is also an excellent and in?depth contribution to the controversial involvement of the German police and Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) in upholding the "free democratic institutional order" of the Federal Republic. It is a good exposition of the often confused discussion about the merits of banning far?right parties. Available from: Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP, c/o FU Berlin, Malteserstr. 74?100, 12249 Berlin, info@cilip.de
Grundrechte?Report 2001. Zu der Lage der Bürger? und Menschenrechte in Deutschland (Basic Rights Report 2001.
On the situation of civil and human rights in Germany). T. Mueller?Heidelberg, U. Finkh, E. Steven, B. Rogalla (eds.), Rohwolt Taschenbuch Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3?499?23044?5, pp.267, DM 16,90. This is the fourth report by civil liberties groups and human rights activists scrutinising Germany's attempts to "defend the constitution" in order to safeguard the "free democratic institutional order" of the FRG. It proposes an alternative interpretation of constitutional rights. Rather than securing democratic rights through "data collection mania", surveillance and the criminalisation of most non?parliamentary opposition, contributors argue that it is Germany's civil society, including refugees and migrants, which has to be active in defending human rights. So this alternative annual report includes an assessment of the state's adherence to specific articles in the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), to the legality of banning parties and the legal prohibition for Germany's army to invade other countries. All these and other rights and obligations are tested against specific cases: police detention, travel restrictions for "hooligans", DNA collection and storage, legal advice, deaths during deportation, economic inequalities between east and west Germany, restrictions in wearing Muslim headscarfs in public positions, conscientious objection, self?declared anti-demonstration zones, police violence, university fees, surveillance, the situation of German and refugee children, and the invasion of Kosovo. Also includes a chronology of events and changes in the law relating to civil liberties and a useful list of civil liberties groups and human rights associations in Germany. This report clearly shows that human rights concerns should more than ever be focused within the EU, not only outside it. Available from: Humanistische Union, Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte, Greifswalder Str. 4, 10405 Berlin, Tel: 0049?30?2045?0256, Fax: 0049?30?2045?0257, info@humanistische?union.de
UN committee examines UK's human rights record, John Wadham. Legal Action May 2001, pp6-7.
Wadham, the director of Liberty, considers the work of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its functions.
Deaths in custody and neglect verdict