In 2006, the BHRC participated as amicus curiae in the United States Supreme Court case of Hamdan v Rumsfeld. In a landmark ruling endorsing submissions made by the BHRC and others the Court held that detainees held at Guantanamo Bay were entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions and that the Military Commissions then established for trials at Guantanamo Bay failed to respect basic due process guarantees.
In 2007, the BHRC participated as one of a number of interveners in the case of Al Skeini v Secretary of State for Defence [2007] UKHL 26. In accordance with the BHRC's submissions the House of Lords held that the Human Rights Act 1998 did extend to protect detainees held by British forces in Iraq.
The BHRC frequently intervenes in cases relevant to our work. Recent amicus curiae can be found in the reports section of our webpage.
Public Interest Case Support (PICS) - Malawi:
The BHRC works in partnership with the Malawi Law Society, Malawi Human Rights Commission, Legal Aid Department, Paralegal Advisory Service, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, Center for Human Rights Education and Development, Centre for the Development of the People, Secular Humanism and lawyers in independent practice on areas of human rights law and public interest cases. Through the PICS, UK-based barristers provide advice, assists with submissions and undertake research on cases under consideration or being litigated by our project coordinators in Malawi.
If you are a practitioner in Malawi and want to refer a case to the BHRC for assistance, please complete the case request form and email it to bhrc@compuserve.com. If you have questions about PICS, read our FAQs or email us.
