UK risks joining ‘Russia and Belarus’ on human rights, Jewish charity warns
René Cassin marks ECHR’s 75th anniversary as senior voices sound alarm over UK’s direction
Jewish human rights organisation René Cassin has issued a stark warning over Britain’s future relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights, as leading legal and community figures gathered in London last Wednesday to mark the treaty’s 75th anniversary.
The event – Human Rights: A Compass – also highlighted 25 years of the Human Rights Act and the upcoming Human Rights Day, framing the post-Holocaust human rights system as a distinctly Jewish moral inheritance.
Chairing the discussion, Professor Francesca Klug OBE, one of the UK’s foremost experts on the Human Rights Act, cautioned that the UK was edging towards unprecedented isolation. “The entire post-war international human rights architecture is hanging in the balance,” she said. “We are the only country contemplating leaving the ECHR – joining a club with Belarus and Russia.”
Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer KC, who was unable to attend in person, sent a message emphasising the Jewish roots of the modern human rights movement. “I take pride as a Jewish lawyer in the legacy of René Cassin and your organisation,” he wrote. “When law is not respected, minorities suffer… the struggle for a more just world will only succeed when we protect the rights of all those impacted by discrimination, injustice, and inequality.”
Human rights barrister Martha Spurrier, formerly Director of Liberty, told attendees that political rhetoric did not reflect public sentiment.
“Most people in the UK do not want to abandon our human rights obligations,” she said. “At a time of war in Europe, going it alone is dangerous… losing what we have would be catastrophic.”
Jewish Women’s Aid’s Karen Lewis warned that failures by statutory bodies were not only procedural lapses but breaches of individuals’ rights.
“When public bodies fail to act, they overlook not just distress but human rights,” she said, noting the importance of partnerships with René Cassin in supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence in faith communities.
Amy Mendlesohn of JW3 discussed the right to food and highlighted René Cassin’s Jewish Everyday Rights Forum, stressing the growing relevance of socioeconomic rights in the UK.
Reflecting on the evening, Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director of René Cassin, said the anniversaries served as a reminder of how fragile post-war protections have become.
“As global divisions deepen and hard-won rights face renewed challenge, Human Rights – A Moral Compass invited reflection on how the UK can and must continue to champion human dignity and equality for all,” she said.
Founded in honour of UDHR drafter René Cassin, the charity continues to position Jewish history and values at the heart of its campaign to safeguard universal rights in Britain.
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