A male student is dragged from the classroom during a citizenship lesson by armed police officers. He is thrown into a cell and told to strip. One of his fellow students asks their teacher, ‘They can’t do that Sir, can they?’

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides a balance between the rights of suspects and the power of the state. It lays down our rights in relationship with the police.

Find out what powers the police have regarding stop and search, arrest and questioning. If you have a copy of ‘Young Citizen’s Passport 1999–2000’, read pages 102–104. You could go to your local police station to collect information, or even invite a police officer into school to explain the correct procedures. Also try the library or your local law centre.

Activity 3

After viewing Programme 1, design a poster or leaflet aimed at school students explaining what human rights are and how they can be violated. Use examples from the programme, such as concentration camps and events in China and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and research some of your own.

Activity 4

Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that, ‘Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law’. Article 3 states that, ‘No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’.

Write a short newspaper report based on either of these two articles, about a case brought against a public authority under the Human Rights Act 1998. For example, you could write an article about a woman who had to give birth while handcuffed to a prison officer. What would this be an example of under Article 3? If you have access to desktop publishing facilities, work with a partner to produce a front page featuring your report.

Activity 5

Programme 2 illustrates how human rights issues are dealt with in different parts of the world.

Using newspapers or the Internet, find a current example of human rights violations. Record:
- the country and area of the world
- the issues involved
- which human rights are being abused

The Amnesty International website might be a good place to start:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/

Activity 6

Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights concerns the right to a fair trial, within a reasonable time, by an independent and impartial tribunal or court.

Read the following statements carefully. Do you think there has been a breach of Article 6 in each case? Answer yes or no. Can you explain why?
- During the criminal trial of a young, black, female defendant at least three members of the jury came into court carrying copies of ‘White Briton’, an openly racist magazine.
- During the same trial every member of the jury was white.
- All of the jury members were men over the age of 50.
- The prosecution lawyer explained to the Court that the defendant had committed similar offences on many occasions.
- The defendant’s lawyer was taken ill at the last moment leaving her legally unrepresented; the trial still went ahead.
- The judge was very friendly with the prosecution lawyer; it turned out that they belonged to the same club.
- The judge was at least sixty years old and had been educated at public school and Cambridge University.
- The defendant called an important character witness to testify that she was an honest and reliable person. This witness, however, had a serious speech impediment, and after a minute of listening to her evidence, the judge decided that the Court did not have time to listen to her full account and dismissed her.
- The defendant complained to the judge that her witness had not been heard. He ordered the defendant to be taken to the cells, and the trial continued in her absence.
- The jury returned a verdict of guilty.

Activity 7

Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that, ‘Everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life, home and correspondence’.

The media has often been accused of going too far in search of a ‘good story’, at the expense of individual privacy. In their defence, newspapers, magazines and television programmes claim such stories are of genuine public interest. For instance, everyone wanted to know about the love life of Diana, Princess of Wales and now, everyone wants to know what life is like at home with the Beckhams.

Where do you draw the line between ‘public interest’ and ‘media intrusion’?

Draw a line across a piece of paper, label one end ‘public interest’ and the other ‘media intrusion’. Work in pairs and decide where on the line to place the following media stories. Consider the balance between what is in the public interest and should be reported on in a democratic society, and what is an invasion of privacy.
- Comedian, Freddy Funn, beats up his girlfriend on a regular basis.
- Members of Parliament enjoy luxury holidays at the taxpayers’ expense.
- Sixth former has affair with 23-year-old student teacher.
- Police officers watch confiscated porn videos.
- United boss’s shame. Refuses to contribute to children’s cancer charity.
- Running star’s drugs nightmare. We expose Jerry Jefford.
- Mother’s tears at suicide daughter’s funeral.
- Prisoners say their mail is being read. We say, ‘Who cares?’
- Duke of Earl and the lap dancer. We’ve got the pictures.
- Jack Spratt earns £300,000 a year. His house is worth £1 million. Where did his money come from? We investigate.

Activity 8

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights is about freedom of expression. This includes articles, speeches, photography and investigative television programmes. We live in a democratic society and expect to be able to read a range of newspapers and magazines, and have a number of television channels to watch. There presently are some controls over what we can read, listen to or watch. Some people, however, do not believe in any form of censorship; they believe people should be able to decide for themselves

There is also debate over how far freedom of expression should be allowed before an individual’s right to privacy is harmed. Are Article 8 and Article 10 in conflict with each other?

Stage a debate on the motion, ‘This House believes that freedom of expression is more important than the right to privacy’.
Alternatively, use the motion as the title of a piece of extended writing, or as a heading and list the arguments for and against.