Kolbassia Haoussou, director of survivor leadership and influencing at Freedom From Torture, has warned that Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party is risking the UK's reputation as a defender of human rights. Writing for The Guardian, Haoussou, a survivor of torture who grew up under an oppressive regime, expressed alarm at Starmer's willingness to examine the implementation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which provides an absolute ban on torture.
Haoussou argued that chipping away at Article 3 would constitute an attack on the absolute prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment. He noted that the UK has been a global leader in human rights, helping to shape the ECHR, the UN Convention Against Torture, and the Refugee Convention. Undermining these treaties, he said, would give a green light to authoritarian leaders worldwide to justify their own abuses.
The survivor emphasised that human rights are not privileges for the few but safeguards for all. He cautioned that weakening protections for refugees and torture survivors would weaken the system that protects everyone. He also dismissed the notion that refugees are responsible for domestic issues like NHS waiting times or struggling schools, calling such scapegoating a political trick.
Haoussou stressed that Britain's strength has come from its moral leadership and that undermining treaties that protect people from torture is a sign of weakness. He urged the government to defend the absolute ban on torture, honour international commitments, and show that strength comes from compassion, not cruelty.
