This week I was in the #UK to follow up on complaints and meet with the Government and #EnvironmentalDefenders who submitted complaints to my mandate. Among these complainants was Dr. Patrick Hart, whom I visited in prison on Wednesday. This is where he spent the last three months of his life.

Dr. Hart is a medical doctor who has been convicted for peaceful environmental protest (#BMA). He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and risks loosing his medical licence that has already been suspended. More information on this complaint: see ACSR/C/2024/53 here tinyurl.tools/e3e598ef

To say the least, I am extremely concerned by the treatment of Dr. Hart. These concerns include: 1. The 12 months immediate prison sentence he received, for participating in peaceful environmental protest

2. The denial of his release from prison on license, without justification. While Dr. Hart should have been released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence at home, this was denied without a fully reasoned decision and as of today is still maintained in prison.

4. The double punishment he is subjected to, being punished both before the national courts and before the medical practitioners tribunal of the #GMC.

5. Finally, on the day following my visit, Dr. Hart was transferred, without any notice, to another prison located 6 hours away from his family & friends. This obviously makes it extremely difficult for his loved ones to visit him, adding a new dimension to the punitive treatment he faces.