2015 to 2019 FCO, Leader of Modern Slavery Campaign and Joint Head of Human Rights Policy Unit, Multilateral Policy Directorate 2009 to 2015 Santo Domingo, Her Majesty’s Ambassador, and Non-Resident Ambassador to Haiti 2006 to 2009 Budapest, Deputy Head of Mission 2006 Budapest, First Secretary – EU/Economic and Communications 2002 to 2006 Caracas, Deputy Head of Mission 2001 to 2002 FCO, Head of Communications, European Union Department 1998 to 2001 FCO, Head of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Section, Eastern Department 1995 to 1998 Singapore, Second Secretary – Economic/Commercial and Communications 1993 to 1995 FCO, Desk Officer, Single Market, European Union Department

Lord Neuberger, Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts, and Amal Clooney, Deputy Chair of the Panel, today announced the composition of the independent High Level Panel of Legal Experts. The panel will convene for the first time at the Global Conference to Defend Media Freedom.

The High Level Panel is an independent body convened at the request of the UK and Canadian governments and chaired by Lord Neuberger, former President of the UK Supreme Court.

Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said:

Stemming the tide of violence against journalists requires political will, diplomatic pressure and a legal framework to support countries to improve.

The independent High Level Panel of Experts consists of the best legal minds from across the globe. Together they will develop and promote legal mechanisms to help prevent and reverse media abuses.

International human rights lawyer and Special Envoy on Media Freedom, Amal Clooney said:

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts brings together leading international experts on media freedom, including judges, lawyers and academics, from all over the world. I look forward to working alongside them to develop and advance legal frameworks that can help to protect media freedom around the world.

The independent High Level Panel of Legal Experts will examine legal and policy initiatives that states can adopt to improve media freedom including by:

• proposing legal and other initiatives that can be taken by governments to ensure existing international obligations relating to media freedom are enforced
• advising on any new international commitments by governments that would help to prevent and reverse media abuses
• supporting governments to repeal legislation that is outdated or restricts media freedom
• promoting best practice and model legislation to protect a vibrant free press

The Global Campaign for Media Freedom aims to shine a spotlight on media abuses and reverse the trend of violence against journalists.

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts are:

• Lord David Neuberger, UK (Chair)
• The Honourable Irwin Cotler, Canada
• Hina Jilani, Pakistan
• Dario Milo, South Africa
• Amal Clooney, UK (Deputy Chair)
• Sarah Cleveland, US
• Baroness Helena Kennedy, UK
• Nadim Houry, Lebanon
• Can Yeğinsu, Turkey/UK
• Karuna Nundy, India
• Galina Arapova, Russia
• Justice Manuel José Cepeda Espinosa, Colombia
• Professor Kyung-Sin Park, South Korea
• Baroness Françoise Tulkens, Belgium
• Ms Catherine Anite, Uganda
• Judge Robert D. Sack, US

Background

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Pictures from the Media Freedom conference are available on wires and FCO social media accounts: FCO Twitter and FCO Flickr.

Further information

Two East London men who were found guilty of providing unregulated immigration advice and services and then laundering the proceeds have today, 11 July 2016, been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.

Abdul Mukthadir KHAN, 33 of Hampton Road, Forest Gate, and Mohammed SAYEM, 40 of Windsor Road, Forest Gate, were found guilty on seven counts, namely: 1. Fraud by False Representation x 2; 2. Providing Unqualified Immigration Advice/Services x 2; 3. Converting Criminal Property (money laundering) x 3.

Mr Khan’s wife, Mahmuda MITU, 32, also of Hampton Road, was found guilty of one count of Converting Criminal Property.

Mr Khan and Mr Sayem, who operated from an office in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, falsely represented themselves to be immigration advisers and obtained £26,700 from two individuals for visas which were not provided. Only £6000 was returned.

The two victims were instructed to pay most of the money into a bank account of Ms Mitu which was operated by Mr Khan. That money was subsequently transferred to accounts held by either Mr Khan or Mr Sayem.

In addition large quantities of money, proceeds of criminal conduct, were transferred between bank accounts held by all three defendants over a period of two and a half years. All three were found guilty of this matter.

Mr. KHAN was given a number of sentences, to be run concurrently, resulting in him serving two years in prison.

Mr. SAYEM was also given a number of sentences, to be run concurrently, resulting in him serving two years in prison.

Ms. MITU was sentenced to a 24-month Community Order.

This prosecution was the result of an OISC-led investigation in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service.

Her Honour Judge Korner CMG QC said: “These are extremely serious offences. The mischief is that they take advantage of persons desperate to enter or remain in the UK. The gravity is aggravated when large sums of money are taken to assist people and no such work is carried out.”

Commenting on the verdict and subsequent decision, Immigration Services Commissioner, Mr John Tuckett, said: “The offence showed a total disregard for statutory requirements, and a deliberate defiance of the law. This has been reflected in the sentence, and I hope this serves as a reminder to those who might otherwise choose this path.”

Notes to editor

1. The OISC is an independent public body, established under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, to regulate the provision of immigration advice and services in the UK.

2. For further information contact Victoria Bovill-Lamb, Manager, Investigations and Intelligence Team, OISC, on 0207 211 1591.

3. For further media information contact Cornelius Alexander, Corporate Communications Officer, OISC, on 0207 211 1167.

Thank you, Mr President,

The United Kingdom rejects the Amendment proposed by the Russian Federation to the resolution before us contained in document L.45.

As we have said earlier today, this amendment contains numerous changes, additions, caveats and deletions all of which were raised over the course of a number of open and transparent informal meetings. They failed to garner support from the delegations participating in these informal meetings, or from the penholder of this resolution and were therefore not incorporated.

We are particularly concerned that this amendment seeks to strike out references to girls’ autonomy and to caveat the participation of girls in the elaboration of humanitarian responses. We note the consistent efforts of the Russian Federation to erase girls from texts that seek to promote and protect their human rights, to empower them and to give them voice and control over their own lives. We reject this approach, particularly in the context of supporting girls who have been subjected to child marriage. To suggest they cannot participate in finding solutions to their own concerns is absurd.

The passage of this amendment would set a bad precedent for the working of this Council. At this stage in our deliberations, Council Members should be considering thoughtful and well-articulated amendments that reflect concerns and issues of specific importance to delegations.

For these reasons, we will vote against this amendment and we call on all other Members of the Human Rights Council to do the same.

Thank you, Mr President.