Campaign issues joint statement on colonial laws at the UN Human Rights Council

On 28 September, as part of its 51st session, the UN Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on the negative impact of colonial legacies on human rights. Tríona Lenihan from Penal Reform International delivered a joint statement on behalf of six organisations including campaign members (Penal Reform International, Amnesty International, Harm Reduction International, International Drug Policy Consortium, International Legal Foundation, and Open Society Foundations). The statement highlights the impact of laws and policing practices, often rooted in colonial lawmaking, which effectively criminalise poverty and target people for who they are, rather than what they have done.

• 1