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Benedict Cumberbatch Among Group Of Actors Fighting Plans To Scrap the Human Rights Act

Cumberbatch Says Repeal Of Human Rights Act Will 'Weaken The Rights' Of Everyone
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Benedict Cumberbatch is among a group of actors fighting Government plans to scrap the Human Rights Act.

The Sherlock star, Homeland's David Harewood, Game Of Thrones actress Indira Varma, Vanessa Redgrave and Simon Callow have appeared in short films based on experiences of people who have relied on the legislation.

Plans to replace the Act with a British bill of rights are expected to be included in the Queen's Speech Wednesday.

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Benedict Cumberbatch is among a group of actors who have spoken out against Government plans to scap the Human Rights Act

Cumberbatch said: "Our Human Rights Act belongs to all of us. It's not for politicians to pick and choose when they apply or who deserves protection.

"Repealing it will mean less protection against state abuse or neglect, and weaken the rights of every single one of us - and the vulnerable most of all."

Varma said: "Our Human Rights Act protects every one of us - young or old, wealthy and poor, civilian or soldier.

"It is a cause for pride and celebration, not a pawn in a dangerous political game. It is ours and no one is taking it from us without a fight."

And Callow added: "The Human Rights Act is one of the few laws that enables us to hold the powerful to account.

"No surprise then that the Government wants to scrap it. The Act is a triumph of British values; we abandon it at our peril."

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Actors against repealing Human Rights Act
Hay Festival Of Literature And The Arts - 2015(01 of15)
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HAY-ON-WYE, WALES - MAY 23: Shami Chakrabarti, director of British civil liberties advocacy organisation Liberty, speaks at the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts on May 23, 2015 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images) (credit:Matthew Horwood via Getty Images)
UKTV Live Launch - Arrivals(02 of15)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Simon Callow attends the launch of UKTV Live at Phillips Gallery on September 4, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Stuart C. Wilson via Getty Images)
Britain Christmas Carol Theatre(03 of15)
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British actor Simon Callow performs a scene on stage from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, directed and designed by Tom Cairns, at the Arts Theatre in central London, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Britain Being Shakespeare(04 of15)
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British actor Simon Callow performs a scene from Being Shakespeare, by Jonathan Bate, at the Trafalgar Studios in central London, Tuesday, June 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
NY Special Screening of "Foxcatcher"(05 of15)
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Vanessa Redgrave and guest attend a special screening of "Foxcatcher", hosted by the Cinema Society with Details and Brooks Brothers, at The Museum of Modern Art on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
NY Special Screening of "Foxcatcher"(06 of15)
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Vanessa Redgrave attends a special screening of "Foxcatcher", hosted by the Cinema Society with Details and Brooks Brothers, at The Museum of Modern Art on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
The Hothouse - Press Night & After Party(07 of15)
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Indira Varma seen at the after-party following a performance of The Hothouse at One Whitehall Place in London on Thursday, May 9, 2013. The Hothouse, a play by Harold Pinter, is a 'tragicomedy' about delusion and deceit in a state-run mental institution on Christmas Day. (Photo by Jon Furniss/Invision/AP) (credit:Jon Furniss/Invision/AP)
2015 Winter TCA Tour - Day 14(08 of15)
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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 20: Actor/host David Harewood speaks onstage during the 'SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED' panel discussion at the PBS Network portion of the Television Critics Association press tour at Langham Hotel on January 20, 2015 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) (credit:Frederick M. Brown via Getty Images)
64th Primetime Emmy Awards - Show(09 of15)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Actors David Harewood (C) and Diego Klattenhoff (R) present the Outstanding Drama Series award to producers Gordon Howard (2nd L) and Alex Gansa (L) for "Homeland" onstage at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/AP Images) (credit:Vince Bucci/Invision/AP)
Britain Olivier Awards(10 of15)
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Actor David Harewood poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards at the Royal Opera House in central London, Sunday, April 12, 2015. The Laurence Olivier Awards are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre and were renamed in honour of the British actor, in 1984. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP) (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Red Carpet Studio - 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards - Shanghai(11 of15)
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SHANGHAI, CHINA - APRIL 15: Host Benedict Cumberbatch attends the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards at Shanghai Grand Theatre on April 15, 2015 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images for Laureus) (credit:Ian Walton via Getty Images)
87th Academy Awards - Show(12 of15)
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Benedict Cumberbatch, left, and Naomi Watts present the award for best film editing at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP) (credit:John Shearer/Invision/AP)
87th Academy Awards - Vanity Fair Oscar Party(13 of15)
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Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Reinternment Ceremony of King Richard III - 3/26/15(14 of15)
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Photo by: KGC-375/STAR MAX/IPx 3/26/15 Benedict Cumberbatch and Canon Mike Harrison at Leicester Cathedral for the Reinternment Ceremony of King Richard III. Benedict read a poem composed specifically for this service. (Leicester, England, UK) (credit:KGC-375/STAR MAX/IPx)
China Laureus World Sports Awards(15 of15)
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English actor Benedict Cumberbatch arrives to host the Laureus World Sports Awards on Wednesday, April. 15, 2015 in Shanghai. (AP Photo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Cases involving the Act which are featured in the films include the securing of a fresh inquest into the death of Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement, who committed suicide two years after she alleged that she was raped, and a ruling that Poole Borough Council, which spied on Jenny Paton and her family to check if they were living in the right school catchment area, breached their right to privacy.

The clips were created as part of Liberty's Save Our Human Rights Act campaign.

The group's director Shami Chakrabarti, said: "These films tell just a few of the stories of our Human Rights Act giving a voice to some of the most vulnerable people in our country.

"Soldiers, journalists, victims of rape, domestic violence and slavery all found justice thanks to Churchill's Legacy.

"Government plans to scrap the Act play populist games with hard-won freedoms and undermine the United Kingdom at home and abroad."

SEE ALSO

Human Rights Act Reform Could Be Blocked By Cross-Party Group That's Reaching Out To Tory Rebels

A British Bill of Rights Will Diminish the Rights of Everyone in the UK - And the Most Vulnerable Will Suffer Most

How Human Rights Law Helps All Sorts Of People Get Justice

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