Human Rights Act needs protecting in the name of the Holocaust, says charity

Mia Hasenson-Gross, director of René Cassin, said: “Human rights laws developed as the civilised world’s response to the horrors of the Holocaust – a global voice saying ‘never again!’

“But now the government wants to put the clock back by repealing the Human Rights Act. We are concerned that it is ignoring the lessons of history.”

Ms Hasenson-Gross said: “The Human Rights Act protects victims of crime, the wrongly accused, the disabled, the mistreated, and the elderly.

“Here in the UK, it has allowed countless people to pursue justice; it is an instrument that should be cherished, not diminished.”

She added: “Internationally, the government’s proposals will have damaging effects: the UK is seen as the gold standard for human rights – by back-tracking on rights here, it will encourage less enlightened regimes throughout the world to do the same.”

The comments were made on the anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948.

A Ministry of Justice consultation on repeal of the Human Rights Act has been delayed until early 2016.