News - Protect - Speak up stop harm

Why does Monaco treat whistleblowers like they are criminals? I’m facing extradition without an arrest and being treated like a drug lord, war criminal or paedophile

21st January 2021 by Alex Allen

In an open letter, whistleblower Jonathan Taylor asks why authorities in Monaco and Croatia continue to detain him. " I am a whistleblower. When working at oil platform company SBM Offshore in Monaco, I blew the whistle on a $275 million international network of bribes to secure oil contracts around the world. This was back in ... Read more

International Development Committee into sexual exploitation: 57% think aid organisation whistleblowing policies and practices inadequate

20th January 2021 by Alex Allen

The recent report, Progress on tackling the sexual exploitation and abuse of aid beneficiaries, by the International Development Committee, has found abuse of beneficiaries to be rife with the aid sector and the last safe haven for perpetrators. The report also found that when victims or whistle-blowers try to report abuse, little meaningful action follows, ... Read more

End extradition and ongoing harassment of important whistleblower Jonathan Taylor

19th January 2021 by Alex Allen

We, the undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, whistleblowing, human rights, transparency and journalist organisations are alarmed by the ongoing extradition proceedings against Jonathan Taylor in Croatia. On 4 January 2020 the Dubrovnik County Court again ruled to extradite Jonathan to Monaco. In October 2020, the Croatian Supreme Court had partially sustained his appeal ... Read more

Protect back proposals to publish names of firms receiving furlough

22nd December 2020 by Alex Allen

Protect backs proposals by spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee for HMRC to publish the names of firms claiming furlough by the end of January, as a way to help stop fraud and abuse of the scheme. The scheme has paid the wages of more than 9m workers at a cost of £46 billion – … Read more

Advice Line opening hours over festive season

15th December 2020 by Alex Allen

Protect’s Advice Line will close early at midday on 24 December until 4 January 2021. Anyone in need of urgent advice during this period can still email us at whistle@protect-advice.org.uk, and a member of the Advice Team will aim to respond as soon as possible. For all other queries, the Advice Team will be in … Read more

Law Commission recommends reform of ‘outdated and unclear’ Misconduct in Public Office law

10th December 2020 by Alex Allen

A Law Commission report to ensure public officials are properly held to account for misconduct in their roles, has been published. The consultation examined the common law offence of Misconduct in Public Office, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but has never been put on the statute book by Parliament. The current law … Read more

Protect welcomes Sybille Raphael as new Legal Director

26th November 2020 by Alex Allen

Protect welcomes Sybille Raphael as its new Legal Director who will supervise our increasingly busy Advice Line - which has seen a 37% rise in calls this year - and co-ordinate our legal case work and policy work. Sybille, an experienced solicitor and employment law specialist, leaves her previous role as Head of Legal Advice ... Read more

Pressure on UK Government to intervene in Jonathan Taylor case

17th November 2020 by Alex Allen

Pressure on the UK Government to intervene in the case of whistleblower Jonathan Taylor - being held against his will in Croatia - continues. The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, (of which Protect is a part of) made up of whistleblowing, human rights and transparency organisations, and international jurists has written the following letter ... Read more

MPs debate whistleblower Jonathan Taylor in House of Commons & House of Lords

11th November 202010th November 2020 by Alex Allen

Important questions have been asked by MPs this week in the House of Commons and Peers in the House of Lords regarding whistleblower Jonathan Taylor, who is being held against his will in Croatia. Caroline Nokes – Jonathan’s local MP - asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs ‘what steps the ... Read more

UK can intervene in Jonathan Taylor case – and should

29th October 202029th October 2020 by Alex Allen

The legal team for whistleblower Jonathan Taylor detained in Croatia and facing extradition to Monaco - on charges which have already been thrown out by the Monaco Correctional Court - is calling on the UK Government to intervene. This week the UK has again stated that it is unable to interfere in the Croatian and ... Read more