Category «Comparative/Foreign Law»

Unforgotten on the Day of the Disappeared: Missing human rights advocates

On August 30th each year the world is reminded that hundreds of thousands of people in at least 85 countries don’t know where their loved ones are, or even whether they are alive or dead. For the victims of enforced disappearance and their families, every day is the Day of the Disappeared. The unrelenting uncertainty and anguish of not knowing the truth of what has happened to their family member is a recognized form of torture for both the disappeared and their families. The crime of enforced disappearance cuts off the disappeared from any access to legal representation or judicial remedies – they are placed “outside all protection of the law.” “Rampant” global impunity for enforced disappearance has led the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, and UN bodies to call on all countries to ratify or accede to the Convention for the Protection of all Persons against Enforced Disappearances (Convention or ICPPED). Catherine Morris brings much needed attention to the fact that of the UN’s 193 countries, only 72 have ratified or acceded to the Convention. Canada and the United States (US) are not yet among them. The unrelenting uncertainty and anguish of not knowing the truth of what has happened to their family member is a recognized form of torture for both the disappeared and their families. The crime of enforced disappearance cuts off the disappeared from any access to legal representation or judicial remedies – they are placed “outside all protection of the law.”

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Comparative/Foreign Law, Human Rights, Legal Research, Terrorism

The Disappeared: Indigenous Peoples and the international crime of enforced disappearance

Catherine Morris and Rebekah Smith of Peacemakers Trust Canada conducted extensive research on disproportionate violence against Indigenous persons in Canada that includes uncounted disappearances of Indigenous children, women, and men. Canada’s decades of failure to prevent and halt disappearances forms part of a long litany of grave international human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples. Continued reports of officially hushed-up violence lead to increasingly clarion allegations of genocide. The authors’ work on documenting enforced disappearance, failure to investigate and prosecute crimes against indigenous people has parallel application to the habitual failure of U.S. authorities to address crimes perpetrated against Native Americans.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Comparative/Foreign Law, Human Rights, International Legal Research, KM, Legal Research

Red flag laws and the Colorado LGBTQ club shooting – questions over whether state’s protection order could have prevented tragedy

Professor Alex McCourt, an expert on gun laws at Johns Hopkins University, explains how red flag laws are supposed to work – and why they weren’t triggered in this case.

Subjects: Criminal Law, Legal Research, Terrorism, United States Law

International law says Putin’s war against Ukraine is illegal. Does that matter?

Hurst Hannum, Professor of International Law, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University acknowledges that International laws are in place to prevent war and help protect civilians and combatants alike. But he further states that these laws are challenging to enforce and are unlikely to stop the unfolding Russia-Ukraine war.

Subjects: International Legal Research, Legal Research

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 2, 2022

Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: The dangers of dark data: How to manage it and mitigate the risks; US Still Lacks Federal Cyber Strategy After Decades of Attempts; The Worst Scams of 2021; and Tips for providing digital security benefits to employees.

Subjects: Comparative/Foreign Law, Congress, Copyright, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, KM, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media, Spyware, Technology Trends

Limiting Human Rights during Pandemics

Cassandra Emmons, Cassandra Emmons a postdoctoral fellow with the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs’ t Harvard Univrsity, discusses how COVID-19 has proven that public health emergencies are not equally recognized in either international law or national constitutions; some international treaties permit “limiting” rights in the name of public health rather than requiring derogation, and nationally some governments authorize emergency measures in practice without ever doing so in name. These parallel processes and conceptual gaps create space for governments to restrict individuals’ rights with little to no international accountability during pandemics.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Comparative/Foreign Law, Government Resources, Healthcare, Legal Research

Reopening the Books

Attorney, editor and legal publisher Robert McKay discusses new and notable launches with fresh ideas and innovation in relation to the provision of actual added-value legal content from law publishers in legal and professional publishing in Europe over the past several years.

Subjects: International Legal Research, KM, Legal Research, Online Legal Research Services

Financial Sources on the Internet 2021

Marcus P. Zillman’s new guide comprises a list of actionable financial resources from the U.S. and abroad, organized by four subject areas: Corporate Conference Calls Resources, Financial Sources, Financial Sources Search Engines, and Venture Capital Sources. Content includes: sources for news and updates on business, corporations and marketplaces; sources from the NGO/IGO sectors; data, databases and charts; search applications; resources for investors and money management; and market analysis tools.

Subjects: Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, Economy, Financial System, Government Resources, International Legal Research, Legal Research

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues July 12, 2020

Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Your Smart Speaker Is Listening When It Shouldn’t; The U.S. is ‘looking at’ banning TikTok, cites Chinese surveillance; How Google Docs became the social media of the resistance; and Google Maps Launches New Features To Help People Navigate Coronavirus Hotspots.

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Comparative/Foreign Law, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Health, KM, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Technology Trends