A Human Rights Manifesto: Scotland 2026

Amnesty International has published a human rights manifesto for 2026 setting out our calls on the next Scottish government to create a fairer, more equal Scotland.

From a Human Rights Bill to enshrine strong legal protections for everyday rights, to a ban on mass surveillance technologies in policing - we want to see bold action from our next parliament and government. 

As political parties prepare their own manifestos and party leaders begin their pitch to form Scotland's next government, Amnesty and our supporters want to see commitments to:

1. Introduce a human rights bill to enshrine international norms, such as the right to an adequate standard of living, into domestic law.
2. Improve access to justice for human rights breaches.
3. Maximise rights safeguards for people seeking asylum and those with refugee status.
4. Leverage Scotland’s social security powers to provide every individual with an adequate standard of living.
5. Fully decriminalise abortion and ensure universal, publicly funded access to safe abortion services across Scotland.
6. Respect and protect the rights of LGBTI+ people by banning conversion practices.
7. Ban the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement and act to prohibit predictive policing systems.
8. Advocate for the abolition of the Prevent duty and implement safeguards to mitigate its human rights impact in Scotland.
9. Develop a comprehensive strategy to support human rights defenders internationally.
10. Review and enhance due diligence processes to ensure that Scottish public funding is not involved in supporting violations of international law.