We are delighted to announce that the UK Human Rights Blog by 1 Crown Office Row has been shortlisted with two others for the JUSTICE Human Rights Award 2010. The Awards have been held each December since 2001 to commemorate Human Rights Day. They aim to recognise and encourage individuals and organisations whose work is dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of others. The winners will be announced at a reception on 9th December.
The blog was launched in March 2010 as an extension to One Crown Office Row’s ten-year-old Human Rights Update service. It provides detailed daily updates on human rights case law and news. The service is free of charge and has been updated every weekday, usually more than once, since its launch.
The service provides a plain-language, composed and objective appraisal of current developments in human rights law with sufficient background to understand the underlying legal concepts and provisions for those unfamiliar with them.
It is aimed at both lawyers and the general public. Human rights law affects everyone, but is very complex and often addresses controversial social issues incorporating European as well as domestic jurisprudence. It is valuable for the public to have free access to an expert, non-ideological interpretation of the law, and commentary on relevant events.
The blog is edited by Adam Wagner, whose brainchild it was, and who remains its principal contributor. He is assisted by the chambers academic, Rosalind English (who also runs the Update service), and Angus McCullough QC. Since March, the Blog has published over 375 original articles.
The blog is often quoted across the media, and is read regularly by all of the key human rights organisations, the government and members of the public.
In October alone, the blog received over 27,000 page views. It has over 1,500 registered users, and has been groundbreaking in its integration of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Its readership has increased in size by around 30% each month in the six months since launch.
The blog is the younger brother of the Human Rights Update service launched over 10 years ago. The update service contains over 1000 reports and commentaries on human rights cases and has been constantly and regularly up-dated for over 10 years. The site has nearly 15,000 registered users and over 800 of them receive email alerters when new cases are added. Email alerters are regularly being sent all over the world to organisations in eg Australia, Hong Kong and India – a reminder how human rights law is of global and not simply national interest.
