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James Sweeney

Prof. James A. Sweeney's research is about the after-effects of conflict: principally human rights in transitional democracies, and the rights of refugees. His monograph, 'The European Court of Human Rights in the post-Cold War Era: Universality in Transition' was published in hardback by Routledge in November 2012, and in paperback in 2014. His work on the human rights of failed asylum seekers was cited by the House of Lords in the case of R (on the application of M) v Slough BC [2008] UKHL 52, by the Court of Appeal in R. (on the application of SL) v Westminster City Council [2011] EWCA Civ 954, and most recently in R. (on the application of Refugee Action) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWHC 1033 (Admin). In the latter case Home Secretary Theresa May was found to have acted irrationally by freezing the level of cash support to be provided to asylum seekers to meet their essential living needs, for the financial year 2013/14, at the rates which had applied since 2011.

Prof. Sweeney has acted as an expert advisor to the Council of Europe in relation to freedom of assembly projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan (with the Venice Commission), Georgia, and Kosovo. In March 2011 he delivered human rights legal training to judges of the Ukrainian Supreme Court as part of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office project. Likewise in 2013 and 2014 he convened a series of workshops on human rights and judicial interpretation for the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Kosovo, on behalf of the FCO. Throughout 2009 he acted as an expert advisor to the EU's Committee of the Regions as it prepared its Opinion on reforms to the Common European Asylum System.

Prof. Sweeney joined Lancaster University Law School in 2013. Prior to that, he has worked at Durham, Newcastle and Hull. From 2011-2013 he was Deputy Director of Durham Global Security Institute.

Briferendum Series

Theresa May's call for UK to exit European Convention on Human Rights will delight human rights abusers

Apr 27, 2016 08:14 am UTC| Insights & Views

Theresa May has surprised nobody by calling for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Home Secretary isnt fond of the convention or the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. Her...

Economy

Strait of Hormuz Oil Shipments Resume Amid U.S.-Iran War Tensions

Global energy markets remain on edge as the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that normally handles roughly one-fifth of worldwide oil and gas...

Asian Stocks Rally on Tech Gains and U.S.-Iran Diplomacy Hopes

Asian equity markets extended their winning streak on Wednesday, buoyed by strong performances in technology stocks and growing optimism surrounding potential U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks. The positive momentum followed a...

Iran War Drives Asia's Plastic Crisis — and a Green Packaging Boom

The ongoing Iran conflict is reshaping the global packaging industry in ways environmental advocates never anticipated. By disrupting Middle Eastern oil and petrochemical supplies, the war has driven plastic prices to...

Bank of Korea Nominee Shin Hyun-song Signals Possible Rate Hike Amid Middle East Inflation Fears

South Koreas incoming Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor nominee Shin Hyun-song has hinted at a possible shift toward tighter monetary policy, warning that prolonged supply-side shocks stemming from the ongoing Middle East...

IMF Slashes Global Growth Forecast Amid Middle East Energy Crisis

The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its global growth outlook following a surge in energy prices triggered by the ongoing Middle East conflict. As finance officials convened for the IMF and World Bank spring...

Politics

Federal Agencies Secretly Test Anthropic's AI Despite Trump Administration Ban

Despite a formal directive from President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to stop using Anthropics artificial intelligence technology, multiple U.S. government bodies have been quietly evaluating the companys latest...

Iran's Secret Use of Chinese Spy Satellite to Target U.S. Military Bases Revealed

A explosive new report from the Financial Times has uncovered that Iran covertly leveraged a Chinese spy satellite during a recent regional conflict, granting the Islamic Republic an unprecedented ability to surveil and...

Trump Warns Against Iranian Nuclear Weapons, Criticizes Pope Leo

President Donald Trump renewed his sharp criticism of Pope Leo on Tuesday, taking to his Truth Social platform to issue a stern warning about Irans nuclear ambitions while highlighting what he described as a severe human...

Japan Opens Arms Export Floodgates: New Policy Draws Global Defense Interest

Japan is preparing to significantly loosen its arms export restrictions, and allies from Europe to Southeast Asia are already lining up. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis ruling party has approved the sweeping policy changes,...

U.S. Blockade on Iran Tightens Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

United States military forces have fully enacted a naval blockade against Iran, halting all sea-based economic trade flowing in and out of the country, according to a statement released Tuesday by U.S. Central Command. The...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

KKR's $820M Investment Fuels Samsung SDS AI Expansion, Sending Group Shares Soaring

Samsung Group stocks rallied sharply on Wednesday following KKRs announcement of a major strategic partnership with Samsung SDS, reigniting investor confidence in the conglomerates artificial intelligence and digital...

DEEPX Partners with Hyundai to Power Next-Gen AI Robots Ahead of IPO

South Korean AI chip startup DEEPX is deepening its collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group to build a cutting-edge computing platform for generative AI-powered robots. The initiative will be driven by the companys upcoming...

Anthropic Nears $800 Billion Valuation as Investor Confidence Surges

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence startup behind the Claude AI assistant, is reportedly fielding investment offers that could value the company at up to $800 billion. According to Business Insider, multiple venture...

SK Hynix Shares Hit Record High Amid AI Memory Demand Surge

SK Hynix shares soared to an all-time high on Tuesday, riding a wave of renewed investor confidence in artificial intelligence infrastructure and fresh momentum from developments tied to fellow memory chipmaker SanDisk....

Amazon in Advanced Talks to Acquire Globalstar in Starlink Rivalry Move

Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire satellite operator Globalstar Inc (NASDAQ: GSAT), marking a bold strategic push by the tech giant to challenge SpaceXs dominant Starlink...