Posted 17 December 2009 by David Miliband  |  5 comments

Today I attended an event on human rights in Iraq at the FCO, and gave an  interview afterwards to the Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat (in Arabic). The UK works closely with Iraqis and civil society organisations on human rights issues, not least on women, rule of law and freedoms.  For example, UK forensics officers have been working with Iraqis and recently came across a case originally described as a female 'suicide'.  When a joint forensics team looked into they uncovered evidence indicating that it was a so-called 'honour crime' and a man has now been charged with murder.

Much of our lobbying work is spearheaded by Ann Clwyd, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on human rights in Iraq.  She was in Baghdad last week and despite the bomb blasts raised a wide range of human rights issues.  

A week ago, on Human Rights Day, I argued that respect for human rights is an essential foundation of stable societies that are peaceful, prosperous and free. That is precisely why our work on human rights in Iraq is so important.

David Miliband

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Posted 02 June 2009 by David Miliband  |  6 comments

4th June will mark the twentieth anniversary of the tragic events that took place in Tiananmen Square and across China in 1989. Many of us will remember clearly the images of that time as we mark the anniversary. And some of those detained then remain in prison now.
 
Promoting respect for human rights is a key part of our foreign policy. China has made big improvements in economic and social rights since 1989. But progress on civil and political rights has been far slower. Respect for human rights helps create stability and growth. And China's stability and growth is in our own interests.

So promoting human rights remains a key part of our policy towards China - this year and every year.

David Miliband

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Posted 01 April 2009 by David Miliband  |  4 comments

This article by Conor Gearty in the New Statesman was a breath of fresh air. Professor Gearty is an acknowledged authority on civil rights and individual liberties - but he does not fall for the idea that the UK is falling into the trap of becoming a police state because it uses a DNA database. (There is a brilliant article about the other canard, CCTV cameras, by David Aaronovitch in the Times which exposes the fraud behind the allegation that we are all photographed 300 times a day. It turns out to be drawn from a fictional account). Anyway, our rights are hard won; we should guard them properly; they should be defended by an independent judiciary and proper checks and balances. But as Professor Gearty says, "the idea that the state is an unwarranted assault on individual freedom is not a progressive one". And Professor Gearty should know: as he is open enough to admit, he proclaimed the coming of a police state in 1986, and has now recanted.

David Miliband

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Posted 27 June 2008 by David Miliband  |  2 comments

Former Prime Minister Koizumi apparently issued a diktat that government buildings should be no cooler than 28 degrees - that explains the very informal unbuttoned shirts at the G8 foreign ministers meeting.  Very comfortable it was too.  I gather it is not true that some zealous Japanese civil servants insisted that the former PM meant no more or less than 28 degrees - prompting a rash of central heating on cooler summer days.

David Miliband

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