Internet Shutdowns: The Irony of a Digital Nation?
Between January to May (2018) alone, the Indian government imposed 55 internet shutdowns. An internet shutdown disrupts all electronic communications and services within a geographical location. Often, neither the reason...
(No) Freedom of Speech at Universities?
Universities are meant to be places where freedom of speech flourishes. The issue of free speech in universities in the UK has been recently examined by the Joint Committee on...
Cakes and the Conscience Wars
Last week, the U.K. Supreme Court heard argument in Lee v. Ashers Baking Company. The case involves a baker whose Christian beliefs led him to refuse to bake a cake...
The Assault on Media Freedom in Myanmar: A Worrying Trend
When Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in the November 2015 elections in Myanmar, bringing an end to nearly fifty years of authoritarian...
The Human Rights Implications of Xi Jingping’s Limitless Presidential Term
China’s National People’s Congress recently passed a constitutional change to remove the two-term presidential term limit with a 99.8% passing rate. Whilst the official reason for the removal is to...
CCTV Cameras in Classrooms: The Conflict between Security and Privacy
The Chief Minister of Delhi recently announced his decision to install CCTV cameras in all public schools, and to provide real time access to the footage to the parents of...
Indian Supreme Court’s stay on the banning of ‘Padmavat’: Hopes and Concerns
By an interim order, a three judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court has stayed the ban imposed on the exhibition of a film named ‘Padmavat’ by three Indian states....
The Banning of Ridesharing Apps Violates the Human Rights to Science and Free Speech
Earlier on this year, a local court of Buenos Aires issued an injunction blocking the Uber app, electronic payment methods and forbidding Google and Apple to host the app on...
Cambodia: Using Law to Destroy Democracy
Covered by a veneer of legality, Cambodia’s government has spent the last two years systematically dismantling the Southeast Asian country’s fledgling democracy. Following the main opposition party’s improved performance in...
Free Speech in Non-Public Spaces: Recent Developments in Hong Kong
What, if any, are the geographical limitations of the exercise of freedom of expression? This was the question confronted by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in its recent...
The Repression of Human Rights in Togo: Exploring Legal Avenues of Redress
In recent months, scores of protests have taken place in the West African nation of Togo. A number of protests have also been held by the Togolese diaspora in several...
India’s Model Beggary Bill: Towards Rehabilitating the Beggars
The practice of beggary is rampant in India and currently, over 4 lakh (400,000) people are involved in it. Some practice beggary because of their religious beliefs while for some...
