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...
The Rise of the Death Penalty in the Middle East and North Africa
In the six years following the Arab Spring, there has been a notable increase in death sentences and executions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In this episode,...
What’s in a name? The criminal implications of pleasantries
In September a new batch of research assistants started at the Law Commission in London. Having collected them from reception, I brought them over to meet the rest of the...
Lam Wing Kee, Hong Kong, and China’s ever-expanding reach
The disappearance of Lam Wing Kee and four other Hong Kong booksellers sparked outrage amongst Hong Kong citizens and the international community alike. US spokesman John Kirby said the US...
