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Michael Ford - 8th September 2015
As discussed previously on the Blog, fees in the employment tribunal were introduced across England, Wales and Scotland in July 2013, requiring a claimant to pay fees when presenting a claim and before a hearing. The figures accepted by the Court of Appeal in its recent judgment on the judicial review brought by UNISON, which […]
Kriti Sharma - 7th September 2015
The Jain religion of India has been embroiled in legal controversy surrounding the practice of Santhara or Sallekhana. The Jains, a religious minority in the country, believe in the immortality of the soul and practice renunciation of the world when the body has served all its function, achieved through the gradual giving up of food […]
Sanya Samtani - 4th September 2015
In the latest news on moral policing, earlier this month the Mumbai police conducted a round of raids across lodges, resorts and hotels in the holiday region of Madh Island and Aksa in northern Mumbai and apprehended close to 40 couples who were staying as guests. The reason: indecent exposure within the privacy of a […]
Frances Raday - 2nd September 2015
In recent years at the United Nation’s Human Right’s Council (UNHRC) an ideological challenge has been directed against the universality of international human rights by a strong religious lobby. Religions themselves have, in the human rights era, self-identified as the core of resistance to universal human rights and, in particular, to women’s right to equality […]
Anne Marie Lofaso - 31st August 2015
Earlier this month, the United States witnessed a major setback for freedom of association. The National Labor Relations Board (the Board)– the U.S. agency charged with “encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining” – issued its long-awaited decision in the Northwestern University case, in which it declined to fulfill its obligations under the National […]
Richard Martin - 28th August 2015
On 30 June 2015 the High Court in Belfast ruled [2015] NIQB 59 that the Northern Irish Executive failed its statutory duty to adopt an identifiable strategy setting out how it proposes to tackle poverty, social exclusion and patterns of deprivation based on ‘objective need’. This is a country where sectarian divisions still bleed across […]
Hiba Thobani - 26th August 2015
The first week of August 2015 has been witness to what is being called Pakistan’s ‘biggest child abuse scandal’– the horrific news of almost 300 children, systematically abused, coerced to perform sexual acts, videotaped and blackmailed. Most disturbing about the incident is that it took almost a decade before enforcement agencies uncovered (stumbled upon) the […]
Alex Wilks - 25th August 2015
Timor Leste’s stability is under focus following the recent killing by security forces of Mauk Moruk, a long-time opponent of former Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and leader of a group of disgruntled veterans from its long independence struggle. In 2002, the birth of Timor Leste as an independent state following the brutal Indonesian occupation grabbed […]
Sandra Fredman - 24th August 2015
It is with a heavy heart that I write to say farewell to Bob Hepple, who died in the early hours of Friday 21st August. There will be time for comprehensive reflections on Bob’s life and work. Here, I want to pay tribute of a very personal nature. Bob was an inspiration, a mentor and, […]
Daud Aziz Khokhar - 21st August 2015
In a recent verdict by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (“SCP”), the constitutionality of, inter alia, the 21st amendment—whereby the Federal Government can transfer the trial of certain terrorism-related offences to the Military Courts operating under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (“PAA”)—was upheld by a majority 11-6 of the 17 member SCP bench. From a […]
Vrinda Bhandari - 20th August 2015
The Supreme Court of India recently concluded its hearings in Subramaniam Swamy v Union of India, challenging the constitutional validity of criminal defamation - Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”). These sections were introduced through the IPC in 1860, similar to the prevailing English law, albeit with some modifications. Nevertheless, […]
Meghan Campbell - 19th August 2015
In its last session, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) released its thirty-third General Recommendation on women’s access to justice. This blog has detailed the developments around the world that have significantly impeded the individual’s right to access justice. Given that both men and women are disadvantaged by cuts to […]