UK risks being listed as a ‘human rights abuser’, NGO warns

Human Rights Watch warns UK has very short window' to reverse legislation, including restrictions on the right to protest

The UK government could soon make the list of countries that abuse rather than protect human rights with its outright assault" on the rights of its own citizens and aggressive roll-back of protections such as on the right to assemble and protest, according to the international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The shrinking civic space is not relegated to countries far away," said Tirana Hassan, the acting executive director of HRW. When you come to the UK, you look at the very worrying trend we are seeing. A slew of legislation was passed last year where fundamental human rights are being challenged. The protest law is something we are deeply concerned about."