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Articles by Tobias Kelly
Britain’s Private Investigators on Trial
In the 1970s private investigators in the UK came under attack for their distasteful methods and dubious legality. What did it mean to have a right to privacy? To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5. Start my trial subscription now If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in. Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
Do fight, don’t kill
John Stuart Mill approved of dissent. In ‘On Liberty’, he argued that vigorous debate improved society and that unconventional behaviour lit the path to freer and more fulfilling lives. He urged the widest tolerance for opinion, speech and even what he charmingly called ‘experiments of living’. Without such pinpricks, he argued, like-minded majorities would grow intolerant and democracies would slide into despotism. Mill made resisting social norms a social duty of its own.
La primera línea de defensa: los activistas de base y la protección en Kenia
La investigación muestra que las estrategias de protección de las víctimas, los supervivientes y los activistas están integradas en las relaciones cotidianas. El 25 de noviembre de 2020, cuatro activistas por la justicia social de Kenia fueron detenidos cuando regresaban de pagar la fianza de un compañero que había sido detenido acusado de robar un teléfono.
Pasando por alto la tortura entre los pobres
Documentar la tortura siempre ha resultado problemático, pero las experiencias de los pobres continuamente se dejan de lado por completo. La tortura ha sido uno de los temas dominantes de derechos humanos a nivel internacional de los últimos quince años. Sin embargo, la gran mayoría de los casos de tortura no han sido documentados. Tal vez esto sea inevitable, ya que la tortura es muy difícil de documentar.
La première ligne de défense : les militants et la protection au Kenya
La recherche montre que les stratégies de protection des victimes, des survivants, et des militants s’inscrivent dans les relations au quotidien. Le 25 novembre 2020, quatre militants kenyans œuvrant dans le domaine de la justice sociale furent arrêtés sur le chemin de retour, après avoir fait libérer un camarade qui avait été détenu car accusé d’avoir volé un téléphone.
The first line of defense: grassroots activists and protection in Kenya
Research shows that protection strategies of victims, survivors, and activists are embedded in everyday relationships. Residents of Mathare slum hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against police brutality and killings that have been witnessed during security operations recently and in the past few years, in the streets of the Mathare slums in Nairobi, Kenya, in June 2020.
The first line of defense: grassroots activists and protection in Kenya
Research shows that protection strategies of victims, survivors, and activists are embedded in everyday relationships. Residents of Mathare slum hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against police brutality and killings that have been witnessed during security operations recently and in the past few years, in the streets of the Mathare slums in Nairobi, Kenya, in June 2020.
Human rights populism
In addition to the many dangers that threaten the international human rights project from the outside, it also faces many threats internally. In some ways, the entire project is a victim of its success and the fact that, quite literally, every claim to social justice these days can be articulated with rights language. By adhering to excessive specialization and refusing to broaden its scope, the human rights project risks spreading itself too thin and becoming irrelevant.
Missing torture amongst the poor
Documenting torture has always been problematic, but the experiences of the poor are continually left out of the picture. Torture has been one of the dominant international human rights issues of the last fifteen years. Yet, the vast majority of incidents of torture have remained undocumented. This is perhaps inevitable, as torture is very hard to document. States invest considerable resources into hiding torture from view and denying that it takes place at all.
SRB DIARY: STREET CLEANING IN WHITBY – Scottish Review of Books
Suddenly, out of the mist came the flag of a rival saint. A red cross bright on its field of white, as if on the prow of some merchant vessel. But this was no ship and Keith Gilpin no sailor. He is a street cleaner, the man who keeps Whitby’s cobbles swept. The flag flies on the front of his cart. On his baseball cap he wears Yorkshire’s white rose. Thus blazoned, he goes about his business with brush and black bag.
The fight against torture should preoccupy us all
Torture is a calculated act of cruelty and brutality that degrades us all and weakens the rule of law. On International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, let's eradicate complicity with torture. Today is the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. It is a day that celebrates the coming into force of the UN Convention Against Torture, on 26 June 1987, now 31 years ago.
Against Civility
Donald Trump and his global populist counterparts, such as Farage in England, Orbán in Hungary, or Duterte in the Philippines, gain popularity through rhetoric that is divisive, potentially violent, and definitely prejudiced. In a word: uncivil. But can oppositional calls for civility give substance to political resistance? Can civility do more than offer a pallid endorsement of the status quo? Progressives certainly need anger. But should they also demand civility?
Torture prevention works, but only with the right ingredients
In a world that now more openly acknowledges the global risk of torture and other ill treatment, state forces and other actors continue to question its absolute prohibition and still attempt to justify its use. Many organizations and governments have taken laudable steps, over the last thirty years, to prevent all abuses in detention but independent evidence of their impact was lacking.
Missing torture amongst the poor
Torture has been one of the dominant international human rights issues of the last fifteen years. Yet, the vast majority of incidents of torture have remained undocumented. This is perhaps inevitable, as torture is very hard to document. States invest considerable resources into hiding torture from view and denying that it takes place at all. Victims can also be too afraid to come forward, human rights organizations have limited resources.
Missing torture amongst the poor
Documenting torture has always been problematic, but the experiences of the poor are continually left out of the picture. Torture has been one of the dominant international human rights issues of the last fifteen years. Yet, the vast majority of incidents of torture have remained undocumented. This is perhaps inevitable, as torture is very hard to document. States invest considerable resources into hiding torture from view and denying that it takes place at all.
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