Tag: Human Rights Commission
Local KC to chair Human Rights Commission
(CNS): Local attorney Ben Tonner KC has been appointed as the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission (HRC). Tonner has been a member of the HRC for over four years, from 2015 to 2018 and again from September last year to date. Tonner was appointed by Governor Jane Owen, and his tenure as the chair […]
Panton evades same-sex marriage question
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton has said the ruling by the Privy Council in the Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden-Bush same-sex marriage case may have established that the Cayman Islands Constitution does not provide a right for gay couples to marry but this does not prevent Parliament from introducing a law to provide for it.
HRC gives thumbs-up to proposed WP vaccine mandate
(CNS): The Human Rights Commission has stated that the government can place a vaccine requirement as a condition of work permit grants without breaching human rights. With a proposal being floated by government to mandate proof of vaccination for new and renewal work permit applications, the HRC said the government has a duty to protect […]
HRC watching COVID rules closely
(CNS): The Human Rights Commission has said it continues to be involved in the discussions that relate to the current COVID-19 rules regarding restrictions on travel, quarantine and the virus vaccination programme. The commission issued a statement seeking to reassure the public that the situation is being monitored. According to the latest official public health […]
Early election stalls bill for refugee rights
(CNS): The Cayman Islands government was expected to bring amendments to immigration legislation to Parliament in the first quarter of this year that would fix the conflict between the law and the country’s Bill of Rights as well the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. But the decision by Premier Alden McLaughlin to […]
HRC blames lack of code for leadership troubles
(CNS) The Human Rights Commission is urging voters to “stand firm” in holding elected representatives accountable, as it called once again for a code of conduct for members of Parliament. With both the Commission for Standards in Public Life (CSPL) and the HRC essentially powerless to actually hold politicians and leaders accountable, the two bodies […]
Ethics code needed to stop MPs abusing privilege
(CNS): The Human Rights Commission is calling on politicians to adopt a code of conduct following complaints about the abuse of privilege during past debates on LGBT rights in the Legislative Assembly. In a letter to members, HRC Chairperson Dale Crowley said the privilege they enjoy should not be used to create the divisiveness witnessed […]
HRC expects UK to act as CMA remains defiant
(CNS): The passage of the Domestic Partnership Bill into law “should have been inevitable”, given the ruling of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal, the Human Rights Commission has said. But as the “Legislative Assembly failed once again” to meet it obligations, “direct intervention by the United Kingdom now appears likely”, the HRC said in […]
HRC hopes DP bill will address inequality
(CNS): The Human Rights Commission has said that the world will be watching when the Legislative Assembly debates the “emotive” Domestic Partnership Bill next week, as it implied that legislators should treat everyone with courtesy, dignity and respect. The HRC members said they hoped the bill would address the current inequality within the Cayman Islands […]
Activists urge action on LGBT equality
(CNS): Local advocacy group Colours Cayman has questioned the point of the Cayman Islands 2009 Constitution, given that the rights of the LGBT community are still being trampled on, as they urged action on marriage equality in 2020. The activists also noted the silence from the Human Rights Commission since the findings of the appeal […]
Governor fills empty commission seats
(CNS): Governor Martyn Roper has announced several new appointments and reappointments to important constitutional commissions. After six months without a chairman, lawyer Dale Crowley has been appointed to head the Human Rights Commission for a three year term. He joins existing members Reverend Yvette Noble-Bloomfield, Joni Kirkconnell and Dorothy Scott.
