Democracy in the Times of Corona: Experiences of Australia, the Republic of Korea and Sweden

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the world in all respects, including democracy and fundamental freedoms such as the freedoms of expression and movement, and the right to health. This presents a central challenge for democracies: how to balance mitigating the outbreak and at the same time respecting democratic principles such as accountability, transparency and respect for civil and political rights. Many countries have implemented stringent restrictions to contain the virus, which have implications for human rights and freedoms. The Embassy of Sweden to the Republic of Korea and International IDEA co-organized a webinar on 9 June 2020 to examine the pandemic’s potential consequences for democracy worldwide using the case studies of Australia, the Republic of Korea and Sweden.

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  

In Victoria, complaints against the police made by members of the public are predominantly investigated and determined by serving police officers. Such police-dominated complaints mechanisms are widely considered to be ineffective, and are being increasingly abandoned the world over. With reference to the obligations imposed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, this article critically examines Victoria’s police-dominated complaints mechanism and argues that it violates the right to an effective remedy contained in article 2 paragraph 3 of the Covenant. As a constituent state of a state party to the Covenant, Victoria is obliged to give effect to the Covenant’s obligations, and so must create an independent police complaints mechanism tasked with investigating complaints made against the police involving allegations of breaches of the Covenant’s protected rights.


2020 ◽  
pp. 207-246
Author(s):  
Derrick Darby

This chapter reconstructs W. E. B. Du Bois’s defense of democracy in “Of the Ruling of Men,” a chapter in his neglected work Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil. Du Bois’s examination of why blacks and other citizens were denied the right to vote, how this contributes to democratic failure, and how this can be averted provides useful insight as we look for ways to address the current crisis of democratic rule in America and around the world. Du Bois proposes that the way to avert democratic failure is to guarantee civil and political rights, social equality, and economic justice for every citizen.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-193
Author(s):  
Judith Bueno de Mesquita ◽  
Gen Sander ◽  
Paul Hunt

The harm to health of victims of civil and political rights abuses has been a focus of some reparations programmes. Rehabilitation has been the primary form of reparation for harm to health. Is this current approach an appropriate response by reparations programmes to violations of the right to health during conflict or repression? Given the nature of right to health violations in conflict or repression, we suggest that reparations programmes should broaden their focus to also address not only the health consequences of civil and political rights violations, but also the destruction or neglect of the health system, and policies which harm health. We consider whether rehabilitation is the only suitable form of reparation for such abuses. We also consider the relationship between the fields of transitional justice and public health in periods of transition, including whether some conflict-related right to health violations should be addressed in the health sector rather than reparations programmes and, if so, how this can be done successfully.


Author(s):  
Mona Farouk M. Ahmed

The Quran is the holy book of Islam which has been almost translated to all languages of the world. The translation of the words of God is a great work which include a responsibility of conveying the accurate meaning of God’s words. The researcher of this paper studied the Korean language and participated in Korean-Arabic translations over twenty years. Accordingly, the researcher felt the responsibility of which she tries through this paper to shed the light on the Korean translation of Quran hoping for reaching the most accurate translation for Quran. This paper focused on one word of the noble Quran, tracing the Korean translation to examine its accuracy as a sample of other words that may include difficulties in the Korean translation. The choice of the word “wali: Guardian” was based on its Islamic specificity and its possible impacts on the right understanding of Islam. The study began with the definition of the word and its Islamic particularity. Then, the study presented an analysis of the Korean translation of the word through exploring the Quranic verses containing the word. Finally, the study gave suggestions for the accurate translation of the word which would include recommendations for the future translation of Quran. * This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2018S1A6A3A02022221). * هذا العمل مدعوم من وزارة التعليم الكورية والمعهد الكوري القومي للبحوث (NRF-2018S1A6A3A02022221).


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Ani Triwati

<div><p>Negara mengakomodir hak setiap orang termasuk hak perempuan berhadapan dengan hukum dalam Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945. Perempuan berhadapan dengan hukum mempunyai hak untuk memperoleh akses keadilan. Sebagai negara yang telah meratifikasi Kovenan Internasional tentang Hak-Hak Sipil dan Politik dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 12 Tahun 2005 tentang Pengesahan <em>International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights</em>, Indonesia berpedoman pada Konvensi tersebut dalam mewujudkan persamaan semua orang di hadapan hukum dan peraturan perundang-undangan, larangan diskriminasi serta menjamin perlindungan yang setara dari diskriminasi, termasuk jenis kelamin atau gender. Selanjutnya, Indonesia sebagai pihak dalam Konvensi Penghapusan Segala Bentuk Diskriminasi Terhadap Perempuan (<em>Convention on the Elimination All of Forms Discrimination Against Women</em>/ CEDAW) mengakui kewajiban negara untuk memastikan bahwa perempuan mempunyai akses keadilan dan bebas dari diskriminasi dalam sistem peradilan (pidana). Dalam upaya memberikan akses keadilan, negara menjabarkan jaminan hak perempuan berhadapan dengan hukum dalam peraturan perundang-undangan. Sistem peradilan pidana merupakan salah satu upaya dalam memberikan akses keadilan sebagai perlindungan bagi perempuan berhadapan dengan hukum melalui perlindungan terhadap hak-hak perempuan selama pemeriksaan dalam setiap tahap peradilan.</p><p><em>       </em><em>T</em><em>he rights of ever</em><em>y person</em><em> including rights of women </em><em>encounter</em><em> the law </em><em>are accommodated by the state based on</em><em> </em><em>the</em><em> Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia</em><em> of 1945</em><em>. </em><em>Women’s in law</em><em> having the right </em><em>in terms of accessing justice</em><em>. As a </em><em>nation</em><em> that ratif</em><em>y</em><em> the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with Law Number 12 of 2005 </em><em>regarding</em><em> the </em><em>legitimation</em><em> of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Indonesia refers to the</em><em> c</em><em>onvention in realizing the equality of all people before laws and regulations, prohibition of discrimination and guarantee </em><em>the </em><em>equal protection from </em><em>any  form of </em><em>discrimination, including gender. Furthermore, Indonesia as a part</em><em> in</em><em> the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) </em><em>admit</em><em> the obligation of the state to ensure that women </em><em>are capable </em><em> access</em><em>ing</em><em> justice and </em><em>exempt</em><em> from discrimination in the criminal justice system. In an effort to provide access to justice, the state </em><em>elucidates</em><em> the guarantee of </em><em>the rights of women’s</em><em> in the laws </em><em>within the law</em><em> regulations. </em><em>Therefore, </em><em>The criminal justice system is </em><em>the one of an</em><em> effort </em><em>providing</em><em> access to justice </em><em>as well </em><em>as </em><em>the</em><em> protection for women</em><em>’s in law </em><em>through the protection of women's rights during </em><em>investigation</em><em> at every stage of </em><em>justice</em><em>.</em></p></div>


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanang Nur Wahyudi ◽  
Nynda Fatmawati Octarina

Hak Politik dilindungi hukum, baik secara internasional maupun nsional. secara internasional, hak politik diatur Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) dan International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). hak politik juga dilindungi konsitusi kita dan beberapa peraturan Perundang-Undangan lainnya, serutama Undang-Undang no 39 tahun 1999 tentang Hak Asasi Manusia. Adanya ketentuan yang merupakan syarat untuk mencalonkan diri pada pemilihan yang jelas membatasi bahkan meniadakan hak seseorang untuk ikut serta dalam menggunakan hak azasinya. Hal ini jelas merupakan pelanggaran terhadap hak azasi seseorang, yang dalam hal ini hak politik yang dimiliki oleh seorang mantan narapidana khususnya pada kasus korupsi. Apabila kita mencermati ketentuan UUD 1945, maka seorang mantan narapidana juga sebagai warga negara yang memiliki hak politik yang sama dengan warga negara lainnya. Hak Uji materiel terhadap peraturan yang  bertentangan dengan Undang-Undang Dasar 1945, maka kewenangan hak menguji ada pada Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK). Putusan Mahkamah Konstitusi memberi kepastian hukum bahwa seorang mantan Narapidana kasus korupsi masih diperbolehkan untuk mencalonkan diri pada pemilihan kepala daerah karena mantan narapidana masih memiliki hak politik sebagai warga negara. Untuk dapat mencalonkan diri pada pemilihan kepala daerah, maka mantan narapidana setelah melewati masa 5 (lima) tahun  selesai menjalani masa hukuman dan telah kembali kepada kehidupan masyarakat sebagaimana kehidupan masyarakat lainnya. Menghormati hak politik mantan narapidana kasus korupsi sebagai pengakuan terhadap hak azasi manusia dalam negara Republik Indonesia yang merupakan hak konstitusional yang diatur dalam UUD Tahun 1945. Kata Kunci : Narapidana, Judisial Review, Hak, Putusan Mahkamah Konstitusi ABSTRACTPolitical rights are protected by law, both internationally and nationally. Internationally, political rights are regulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Political rights are also protected by our constitution and several other laws and regulations, especially Law No. 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights. There is a provision which is a requirement to run for election which clearly limits and even negates a person's right to participate in exercising their human rights. This is clearly a violation of a person's human rights, which in this case the political rights of an ex-convict, especially in cases of corruption. If we look at the provisions of the 1945 Constitution, an ex-convict is also a citizen who has the same political rights as other citizens. The right to judicial review of regulations that are contrary to the 1945 Constitution, the authority of the right to examine lies with the Constitutional Court (MK). The Constitutional Court's decision provides legal certainty that a former convict in a corruption case is still allowed to run for regional head elections because ex-convicts still have political rights as citizens. To be able to run for regional head elections, ex-convicts after passing through a period of 5 (five) years have finished serving their sentence and have returned to community life as other people's lives. Respect the political rights of ex-convicts of corruption cases as an acknowledgment of human rights in the Republic of Indonesia which are constitutional rights regulated in the 1945 Constitution. Keywords: Prisoners, Judicial Review, Rights, Constitutional Court Decisions


2018 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-719
Author(s):  
Harrison Mbori

In its landmark November 24, 2017 judgment in Ingabire Victoire Umuhoza v. The Republic of Rwanda, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACtHPR) or Court) held that certain aspects of the right to a fair trial (presumption of innocence and illegal searches) and the right to freedom of expression under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Banjul Charter) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) had been violated by the Republic of Rwanda (Respondent State). In its final orders, however, the Court rejected the applicant's prayer for immediate release and deferred its decision on other forms of reparation. The judgment has broad implications on how African states protect and respect the rights to a fair trial and freedom of expression. The case also offers some vital lessons on state backlash towards human rights litigation and African states’ compliance with decisions of international courts (ICs).


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (91) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Jelena Girfanova

In the paper “The prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in closed Institutions” the author has examined the obxervasnce of  persons’  in detention,  custody or imprisonment human rights in the European regional acts and national instruments as well as the provision of health care for detainees and convicted persons alike.All basic human rights’ documents, namely: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms state that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, degrading his or her human dignity”.  All persons who have been punished, regardless of the crimes for which they were convicted, have the right to humane treatment and respect for their personality. No actions of people, whatever they may be, justify the inhuman treatment of them or the humiliation of their personality.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-202
Author(s):  
Zonke Majodina

As part of the ongoing movement in support of the abolition of the death penalty across the world, this article presents a selection of cases brought before the United Nations Human Rights Committee (the Committee) on violations of the right to life. With a special focus on Zambian cases, the objective is to demonstrate how the Committee’s views reflect its longstanding jurisprudence that the death penalty should only be applied in the most exceptional circumstances.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Peter Crowley

Northern Ireland’s Troubles conflict, like many complex conflicts through the world, has often been conceived as considerably motivated by religious differences. This paper demonstrates that religion was often integrated into an ethno-religious identity that fueled sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles period. Instead of being a religious-based conflict, the conflict derived from historical divides of power, land ownership, and civil and political rights in Ireland over several centuries. It relies on 12 interviews, six Protestants and six Catholics, to measure their use of religious references when referring to their religious other. The paper concludes that in the overwhelming majority of cases, both groups did not use religious references, supporting the hypothesis on the integrated nature of ethnicity and religion during the Troubles. It offers grounding for looking into the complex nature of sectarian and seemingly religious conflicts throughout the world, including cases in which religion acts as more of a veneer to deeply rooted identities and historical narratives.


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