Regional Europe United Kingdom England
United Kingdom and Gibraltar (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a highly developed constitutional monarchy comprised of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. Gibraltar is a United Kingdom Overseas Territory bordering Spain and located at the southernmost tip of Europe at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of thirteen former British colonies that have elected to continue their political links with London. Tourist facilities are widely available. ... [Read More]
United Kingdom (05/05)
Tony Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister ever to win a third consecutive term when he was re-elected on May 5, 2005. Labour has a 67-seat majority in the House of Commons. The Conservative (Tory) Party and Liberal-Democrats (LibDems) form the major opposition parties. The main British parties support a strong transatlantic link but have become increasingly absorbed by European issues as Britain's economic and political ties to the continent grow in the post-Cold War world. Prime Minister Blair has promised that the United Kingdom will play a leading role in Europe even as it maintains its strong bilateral relationship with the United States. Britain's relationship with Europe, in particular its potential participation in the single European currency, the euro, is a subject of considerable political discussion in the United Kingdom. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has stipulated that a referendum on adopting the euro will occur only after five economic tests are met. A ... [Read More]
United Kingdom
The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Church of England and the Church of Scotland are established churches. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom. Centuries-old sectarian divisions--and instances of violence--persist in Northern Ireland.The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of prom ... [Read More]
United Kingdom
In England and Wales, the law empowers judges to instruct juries that they may draw an inference of guilt from a defendant's refusal to answer questions during interrogation or trial, although no conviction can be based solely on such an inference. Human rights groups and the U.N. Human Rights Committee have criticized this provision, which they considered an abrogation of the right against self-incrimination. A similar provision is in effect in Northern Ireland, but the law prohibits the drawing of an inference from silence when a suspect is questioned before being permitted access to an attorney. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that, taken in isolation, drawing inferences from silence did not contravene the accused's right to a fair trial provided for by the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. However, the Court decided that the possibility of inferences being drawn from the silence of an accused while he was denied access to legal ... [Read More]
2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in the United Kingdom
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development distribute anti-trafficking material in countries of origin. Immigration intelligence assets were deployed across Europe on the main routes for illegal migration and trafficking under the Immigration Liaison Officer (ILO) program. The National Criminal Intelligence Service engaged in exchange programs in which its officers aided in preventive anti-trafficking efforts in Central and Eastern Europe. ... [Read More]
Reports, International Education Week 2001
Europe/Eurasia ... U.S.–UK Fulbright Commission (London, England) and British Council USA ... U.S.–UK Fulbright Commission (London, England) and British Council USA (Washington, D.C., USA) ... [Read More]
United Kingdom
The armed forces have a procedure to handle complaints of harassment, racial and otherwise. Service personnel also have the right to submit complaints to employment tribunals. In 1998 the services entered into a 5-year partnership agreement with the Commission on Racial Equality (CRE) to promote racial equality practices. On September 16, the Crown Prosecution Service entered into a partnership with the CRE designed to assist in its continued progress towards the elimination of racial discrimination.The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, who has an independent staff, has extensive powers to investigate complaints in Northern Ireland filed against the police or referred by the PSNI chief constable, the Police Authority of Northern Ireland, or the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Ombudsman is required to investigate cases involving death or serious injury where there may have been police involvement and may investigate all other cases ... [Read More]
United Kingdom
Religious groups are not required to register with the Government. No church or religious organization--established or otherwise--receives direct funding from the State. Religious bodies are expected to finance their own activities through endowment, investments, and fund-raising. The Government funds the repair of historic church buildings, such as cathedrals, but such funding is not restricted to Church of England buildings. A government grants program helps to fund repair and maintenance of listed places of worship of all religions nationwide. The Government also contributes to the budget of the Church Conservation Trust, which preserves "redundant" Church of England buildings of architectural or historic significance. Several similar groups in England, Scotland, and Wales repair non-Anglican houses of worship. ... [Read More]
IV. Country Narratives: Europe and Eurasia
Macedonia is a country of transit and destination for women and children trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, notably Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria. Some foreign victims are trafficked through Macedonia to Albania, Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) and Western Europe. Some internal trafficking was discovered, as were cases of Macedonian women trafficked regionally and to Western Europe for sexual exploitation. ... [Read More]
2003
1111--10/30/03 Transnational Crime in Europe; Steven Pifer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs; Testimony for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on European Affairs; Washington, DC ... 1111--12/12/03 U.S. Statement to Committee of Senior Officials; Robert Hilton, Nordic Baltic Regional Coordinator, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; Council of Baltic Sea States; Stockholm, Sweden ... [Read More]
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