Insights

Magnitsky Sanctions in the UK: Who are the Targets?

‘Gross violations’

What does the first list of ‘designated persons’ under the UK’s Magnitsky sanctions regime tell us about how they will be used? It is, perhaps deliberately, a mixed bag of targets, a set of 49 individuals and organisations from four different countries, associated with some of the UK’s highest-profile foreign policy issues. Most, but not all, of them also seem designed to fit the category of ‘gross violation of human rights’ in the enabling Act (the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA)) – very broadly, the torture by state officials of those who expose corruption or promote human rights. Indeed, 25 of the targets, a bare majority are said to be associated with the case of Magnitsky himself, who died in a Russian prison in 2009, after making allegations of corruption.

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COVID-19: Is there a risk of businesses being shut down or prosecuted for exposure at work?

Published: 03/07/20

As the COVID-19 lockdown eases further from 4th July 2020 and subsequently, more businesses will be able to recommence operating, or operating closer to how they did pre-lockdown.  As this adaptation takes place, employers will be keen to ensure the safety of their employees and members of the public and understand the risks if they fail to do so.

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The GDPR’s Second Birthday: Three Cheers But No Presents

The GDPR has just celebrated its second birthday and, to mark the occasion, the European Commission (‘EC’) has published an assessment of its effectiveness so far. While praising the ground-breaking data protection leviathan for what it has achieved to date, the EC has admitted that more needs to be done, particularly in the field of enforcement, if it is to create a genuinely level playing field for personal data rights across Europe and beyond.

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Justice Committee launches inquiry into fairness of private prosecutions

The House of Commons Justice Committee has announced that it is to launch an inquiry into whether there are enough safeguards in place to prevent miscarriages of justice in private prosecutions.  BCL’s Anoushka Warlow discusses how the inquiry will focus on cases brought by large organisations against individuals where the organisation is also the alleged victim of the offence.

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Emerging from COVID-19: an opportunity for prosecutors?

Criminal lawyers are always asked by their clients how long they think an investigation or prosecution into allegedly serious offending will take. Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, in a justice system crippled by budget cuts and beset with inefficiencies, the answer would nearly always be measured in years.

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