Category Archives: Human/Civil rights

On Zimbabwe

June 28, 2008 – 8:37 pm

A terrible catastrophe is playing out in Zimbabwe, one that - in light of South Africa’s ongoing complicity - calls into question the possibility of achieving the rule of law in Southern Africa. Only Botswana seems able to do it, and even there, the hold is fragile - imperilled by atrocious HIV rates. A very [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Law | Comments (22)

‘I won’t testify. I’m afraid’

June 27, 2008 – 7:24 am

Two things jumped out at me after sitting today’s evidence exam (apart from the fact that the seats in the Examination Schools are bloody uncomfortable). The first was the SCOTUS ruling in Heller, where the Court held 5-4 that owning a gun for self-defence purposes was a Second Amendment right, while the second was the [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Defence, Economics, England, Law | Comments (19)

Human rights and criticising Islam

June 7, 2008 – 12:20 am

I’ve been following the case brought by the Ontario-based Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) against Mark Steyn in the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. And as per Pete M’s request, I’m writing a post on it (in the middle of the night because I’m an insomniac). Perhaps, as per John Hasenkam’s comment in response to Pete, [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Free Speech, Law, Media, Personal liberty, Politics, Racism, Religion, Society | Comments (31)

Of good character

June 3, 2008 – 10:19 pm

The requirement of being “of good character” is one with which lawyers are familiar. After all, we have to show that we are fit and proper persons before we can be admitted to practice (as outlined in this post about plagiarist law students). Generally, when I think about someone being “of good character”, I think [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Free Speech, Immigration, Law, Personal liberty, Politics, Terrorism | Comments (8)

‘I’ll take the Fifth on that’: Right to Silence and the Presumption of Innocence

December 6, 2007 – 2:42 pm

It is not a private citizen’s duty to prove his innocence, it is the government’s to prove his guilt.
- Ian Welsh
I’ve selected the above quotation because it illustrates in stark form the power differential between the typical accused and the typical prosecuting authority. The alleged criminal has arrayed against him the full [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Law | Comments (19)

Kevin Rudd = Trendy Vicar (and some reflections on the ASBO)

November 25, 2007 – 12:03 pm

Now that Kevin Rudd is firmly ensconced as Australia’s Prime Minister elect, it’s worth looking at the social democratic party his ALP most resembles – Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s ‘New Labour’. Just as Blair was Thatcher-lite, Rudd is Howard-lite, with the crucial difference that Rudd appears – at least superficially – to be even [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Law, Personal liberty, Politics | Comments (117)

Good News Day

February 4, 2007 – 12:09 am

In one of those odd bits of synchronicity, the two women share the same name, and the former Miss Canada who made most of the running was also born in Iran:
After two grueling years in prison, Iranian teen Nazanin Fatehi (left) was released today and spared from her original death sentence following an international campaign [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Feminism | Comments (11)