An open letter to our political leaders on Human Rights Day

The document is an open letter addressed to UK political leaders on Human Rights Day 2015. Co-signed by Global Witness and 157 other organisations, it argues that the Human Rights Act is essential for protecting individuals, strengthening democracy, and incorporating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into domestic law. The signatories express concern that the future of human rights in the UK is currently uncertain and call on leaders to stand with the Act.

• The Human Rights Act is described as a mechanism that strengthens UK democracy by providing citizens with a voice and ensuring that those in power are held accountable.
• The Human Rights Act provides practical benefits across various sectors of society, including education access for children, protection for older people, safety for refugees, and justice for victims of system failures.
• The signatories assert that the Human Rights Act serves as the domestic legal implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the UK.
• The letter expresses a specific concern regarding the instability or precarious nature of human rights protections within the United Kingdom.

APA

Bowen, S., Bawdon, F., Gallagher, C., Spurrier, M., Breckell, P., Johnson, S., Hodgkinson, J., Rowlands, R., Richards, D., Crane, K., Hawkins, J., Sloan, B., Evans, M., Campbell, N., Powell, J., Allen, K., Ubhi, S., Myslik, W., Roberts, E., ... Francis, R. (2015). An open letter to our political leaders on Human Rights Day. Global Witness. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/an-open-letter-to-our-political-leaders-on-human-rights-day/

Chicago

Bowen, Stephen, Fiona Bawdon, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, Martha Spurrier, Paul Breckell, Steve Johnson, Justine Hodgkinson, et al. An open letter to our political leaders on Human Rights Day. Global Witness, 2015. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/an-open-letter-to-our-political-leaders-on-human-rights-day/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bowen |first1=Stephen |last2=Bawdon |first2=Fiona |last3=Gallagher |first3=Caoilfhionn |last4=Spurrier |first4=Martha |last5=Breckell |first5=Paul |last6=Johnson |first6=Steve |last7=Hodgkinson |first7=Justine |last8=Rowlands |first8=Rachel |last9=Richards |first9=Dean |display-authors=etal |title=An open letter to our political leaders on Human Rights Day |publisher=Global Witness |date=10 December 2015 |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/an-open-letter-to-our-political-leaders-on-human-rights-day/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bowen2015open, author = {Bowen, Stephen and Bawdon, Fiona and Gallagher, Caoilfhionn and Spurrier, Martha and Breckell, Paul and Johnson, Steve and Hodgkinson, Justine and Rowlands, Rachel and Richards, Dean and Crane, Karen and Hawkins, Jeff and Sloan, Brian and Evans, Matthew and Campbell, Neil and Powell, Joe and Allen, Kate and Ubhi, Shaminder and Myslik, Wayne and Roberts, Ewan and Kenningham, Dann and Covey, Donna and Nkwenti, Priscilla and Prochaska, Elizabeth and Afridi, Asif and Copson, Andrew and Chivers, Ann and Gormally, Brian and Frankel, Maurice and Herklots, Helena and McCarthy, Philip and Baillie, Tam and Newell, Peter and Longfield, Anne and Holland, Sally and King, Louise and Garnelas, Carla and Bowen, Jim and Haria, Jatin and Rayner, Catherine and Jones, Martyn and Daynes, Leigh and Boys, Carol and Fitzgerald, Gary and Green, Sarah and Glanville, Jo and Patel, Bharti and Petrova, Dimitrina and Harris, Ali and Hunt, Jacqui and Russell, Jago and Field, Mustafa and Ashley, Cathy and Smethers, Sam and Munroe, Susan and Roscoe, Peter and Whitwell, Chris and Noone, Nik and Blaxland, Henry and Reed, Terry and Caldwell, Gillian and Peake, Lucy and Kosmala, Bella and Hibberd, Helen and Katona, Cornelius and Gelder, Alison and Crook, Frances and Short, Damien and Lennox, Corinne and Hanratty, Kevin and Mepham, David and Hancock, Simon and Gavrielides, Theo and Larasi, Marai and Khan, Imran and Coles, Deborah and Shaw, Helen and Khan, Sarah and Bashir, Kalsoom and Grant, Saira and Lambe, Shauneen and Karmani, Alyas and Coomber, Andrea and Roberts, Kate and Bishop, Julie and Hynes, Steve and Mackintosh, Nicola and Beck, Jenny and Roberts, Paul and Martin, Paul and Chakrabarti, Shami and Rynne, Eithne and Watson, Phillip and Schleicher, Theresa and Edwards, Jenny and Bralo, Zrinka and Flynn, Don and Farmer, Paul and Gold, Deborah and Greig, Rob and Yiannoullou, Sarah and Dunn, Megan and Kelly, Des and Taylor, Jeremy and Hainsworth, Zarin and Yu, Patrick and Silver, Sean and Yiasouma, Koulla and Devine, Colin and Rochira, Sarah and Murphy, Katherine and Chandler, Karen and Daghlian, Sally and Lyon, Juliet and Gregg, Andy and Chadha, Rita and Ferstman, Carla and Wren, Maurice and Hasenson-Gross, Mia and Algar, Clare and Scott, Emma and Ahmed, Yasmine and Warwick, Cathy and Khan, Omar and Natasegara, Barbara and Wallace, Marjorie and Atkinson, Mark and Keane, Eamon and Mahmood, Durrah and Gavin, Jan and Barrick, Jon and Travis, Heidi and Hibbins, Joy and Haoussou, Kolbassia and Malumba, Ngoyi Barthelemy and Ziegler, Katja and Reed, Matthew and Lawson, Annette and Gaughan, Anna and Harris, Juliet and O’Grady, Frances and Gibbs, Penelope and MacNamara, Yvonne and Coyle, Martin and Dillane, Paul and Anstead, Alan and Prentis, Dave and Holland, Dianna and Samarasinghe, Natalie and Lamb, Michele and Runswick, Alexandra and Olulode, Kunle and Sherriff, Mike and Butler, Eleri and Kallevik, Joyce and Toye, Jonathan and Neate, Polly and Campbell, Annie and Hayes, Vivienne and Carter, Oliver and Francis, Rachel}, title = {{An open letter to our political leaders on Human Rights Day}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/an-open-letter-to-our-political-leaders-on-human-rights-day/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }