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A recent report published by Blueprint for Free Speech and the Thomson Reuters Foundation has found that UK law “does not–and cannot–adequately protect whistleblowers.” The report, entitled “Protecting Whistleblowers in the UK: A New Blueprint,” closely examines the UK’s existing whistleblower protection legislation, specifically PIDA (the Public Interest Disclosure Act), concluding that the law is outdated, “broken”, and in need of several major updates. In addition to outlining PIDA’s shortcomings in terms of protecting whistleblowers in the UK, the report’s authors offer specific solutions to ameliorate the law.
Continue Reading Expert Report Highly Critical of UK Whistleblower Protection Laws, Calls for Urgently Needed Reforms

Julian Smith and Stephen Kohn

British Member of Parliament Julian Smith (left in photo) today visited Stephen Kohn (right in photo) the Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center. Mr. Smith asked for the meeting to discuss how the United Kingdom might benefit from improved laws for whistleblowers and from an advocacy organization like NWC. Mr. Kohn explained how…

The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition and the British High Commission in Accra (the British Embassy) have published A User’s Guide to the Whistleblower as part of their efforts to eradicate corruption. The 34-page booklet is inspired by a call of Ghana’s President, John Evans Atta Mills, to make the penalties for corruption high enough for deterrence. Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, an editor of the booklet, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that corruption goes beyond giving and taking bribes. In addition to economic crimes, "many forms of unlawful and improper conduct negatively affect Ghana’s development."  Continue Reading Ghana groups use whistleblower rights booklet to fight corruption

In the United Kingdom, a former investigator of the Royal Military Police (RMP), speaking anonymously, alleges that Senior British army commanders in Iraq refused to investigate Iraqi civilian abuse claims. According to BBC News on October 11th, the whistleblower claims that while he has seen documentary evidence of hundreds of incidences, involving death and serious injury to Iraqis, investigators could not examine these cases because the whole system of military justice is flawed. The military chain of command made independent investigations of the RMP almost impossible by not providing resources or denying access.

Continue Reading Bad Apples in a Rotten Barrel

In Britain, Margaret Haywood’s whistleblowing became a hot issue again last week after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) decided that her secrete filming was a “major breach” of the nursing code of conduct.   Ms. Haywood, a nurse at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Bringhton, secretly filmed neglectful behavior of nurses toward elderly patients in the hospital.  The purpose of her film was to inform the public about how badly the nurses treated their patients.  A social investigative TV program in BBC, Panorama, aired her film in July 2005.Continue Reading Public Interest vs. Breach of Nursing Code of Conduct