Last week Theresa May argued that human rights laws that impede effective counter-terrorism should be changed. Keir Starmer disagrees, arguing that human rights and effective counterterrorism are complementary. Who is...
Death Sentences in the Delhi Gang Rape Case: Brutality as Trumps
On 16th December 2012, a particularly disturbing case of gangrape and murder in New Delhi (‘the Delhi gangrape case’) set off massive nationwide protests. Widespread discussions on sexual violence in...
Serbia’s New Domestic Violence Law and the Istanbul Convention: Potential and Challenges
At the time where the old Russian proverb “If he beats you, it means he loves you’’ seems to have taken roots among the legislators in the Russian Parliament, Serbia...
Taking Some Human Rights Back: The Case of Ildar Dadin
Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees a right of peaceful assembly, has recently clashed with the Russian Criminal Code which, as of 2014, has criminalised repeated participation in...
Domestic Violence and the Regressive Russian Amendment
On the 8th of February 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law an amendment that relegated domestic violence, as previously discussed on this blog, to an administrative offence. This...
Midazolam and the Lethal Injection – ‘In re: Ohio Execution Protocol Litigation’
On January 26 2017, a federal court in Ohio ruled that its current execution method is unconstitutional. This was on the basis that the use of the first drug in...
A Gap opens for South Africa to do Right on the ICC
The South African government deposited on 7 March 2017 with the UN Secretary General a document that is as embarrassing as it is telling. The document is headed: “South Africa:...
What’s in a Name? Identity of Children in Criminal Proceedings Heads to Court
The North Gauteng High Court has recently considered the protection of identity for child victims, witnesses and offenders, in a case brought by Zephany Nurse and several NGOs. They are...
Courts Recognizing Transgender Rights
On 6th of February 2017, a law which discriminated against transgender people was amended for the first time in India. This marks a significant victory for the transgender rights movement...
Is Russia “Decriminalising Domestic Violence?”
The Russian bill providing for what has been called the ‘decriminalisation of domestic violence‘ passed a second reading in the Russian State Duma and was approved by the Federation Council...
The Law Commission’s Consultation on the Protection of Official Data
The recent publication of the Law Commission’s consultation paper The Protection of Official Data has generated a great deal of attention. I welcome the opportunity to provide an overview of...
Wotton v Queensland: A Milestone for Police Accountability in Australia
The Federal Court of Australia recently delivered a milestone judgment for police accountability in Wotton v Queensland (No 5). Wotton is the latest chapter in the ongoing struggle between the...
