UN calls for suspension of TTIP talks over fears of human rights abuses

UN lawyer says tactics used by multinationals in courts outside of public jurisdiction would undermine democracy and law

A senior UN official has called for controversial trade talks between the European Union and the US to be suspended over fears that a mooted system of secret courts used by major corporations would undermine human rights.

Alfred de Zayas, a UN human rights campaigner, said there should be a moratorium on negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which are on course to turn the EU and US blocs into the largest free-trade area in the world.