Justice

Comment: 1,339 lives cut short by drugs, but still the political blame game goes on

There is too much point-scoring, too many expressions of concern, too little action

Drug-deaths rose to 1,339 in 2020

This is the largest number of drug-related deaths since records began in 1996

In context: Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Bill

Home Secretary Priti Patel defends controversial new asylum plans

Scottish Government handling of inquiry and judicial review ‘seriously flawed’, committee concludes

Significant rise in reports of sextortion to police in Scotland

Lib Dems call for commission to look into violence against women and girls

Four international human rights treaties to be brought into Scots law

Police Scotland introduces mobile phone app to help people communicate their location

ICO publishes new guidance on the use of personal data in political campaigning

Former police chief superintendent named as Scotland’s first biometrics commissioner

Asylum seekers house in ‘filthy’, ‘impoverished’ and ‘unsafe’ barracks during pandemic

In context: control of dogs legislation

‘No argument’ that the Scottish Government ignored legal advice, Ruth Davidson claims

Scottish Government agrees to release legal advice

Love and hate: Helena Kennedy on tackling misogyny

Nicola Sturgeon claims to the ‘best of my knowledge’ the name of a complainant in the Alex Salmond case was not passed on to Salmond’s former chief of staff

Crown Office has ‘not sought and will not seek to limit’ harassment inquiry

Alex Salmond will not appear before harassment committee today

Majority of legal profession would support move to proven/not proven verdict

Information Commissioner launches data analytics toolkit

Nicola Sturgeon refuses to say whether she would resign if she was found to have breached the ministerial code

Man charged over alleged threat made to Joanna Cherry

Alex Salmond describes the behaviour of the Scottish Government as ‘a disgrace’

Police Scotland seeks views on the use of body-worn video cameras

Freedom of expression amendments to hate crime bill put on hold