Targeted Versus Conventional Economic Sanctions: What Is at Stake for Human Rights?

ABSTRACT

The adverse impact of economic sanctions on human rights is well documented in the literature (Peksen 2009; Wood 2008) and so are the consequences of sanctions for democracy (Peksen and Drury 2009, 2010) and for the survival of leaders (Escribà-Folch & Wright 2010; Marinov 2005). Using data from the Targeted Sanctions Consortium (Biersteker, Eckert, Tourinho, and Hudákóva 2013), we analyze whether sanctions that target segmented groups within the leadership fare any better with respect to human rights protection. The analysis focuses on the universe of targeted sanctions against African countries, between 1992 and 2008, and finds that the adverse impact of this coercive instrument—though unintended—is not statistically distinguishable from the adverse consequences already identified by the literature with respect to conventional sanctions. All else equal, the protection of rights to physical integrity (the right to life and the prohibition of torture) in the targeted country is 1.74 times more likely to worsen under an episode of targeted sanction when compared to a situation where there is no sanction. We propose a signaling model wherein a targeted leader is perceived by the opposition as weakened by the sanctions, which leads to more protest and repression. Higher levels of human rights violations follow.     

Neutralising Punitive Asylum Seeker Policies: An Analysis of Australian News Media During the 2013 Federal Election Campaign

ABSTRACT

For almost two decades, negative portrayals of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat have been dominant within political and media discourses. In particular, asylum seekers have been portrayed as a “dangerous other”—as an illegal group that the public ought to fear and from which they require protection—rather than as a vulnerable group who require protection themselves. This article examines some of the ways in which these discourses make possible public support for punitive policies relating to the treatment of asylum seekers (particularly boat arrivals)—policies that violate many of the human rights instruments to which Australia is a signatory. Specifically, this paper uses Sykes and Matza’s (1957) work on “Techniques of Neutralisation”, which considers the way in which those who knowingly commit illegal, immoral, or harmful acts neutralise their behaviour and disavow its harmful effects, to analyse these dynamics. In particular, it focuses on the political and media discourses regarding asylum seeking produced during the 2013 Australian federal election campaign. The paper argues that these theoretical tools can be effectively applied to this case study and provide some insight into the ongoing punitive treatment of asylum seekers in Australia.     

Validation of the InnoXtract™ DNA extraction method for bone,teeth, and rootless hair

Forensic casework samples often include human hairs, teeth, and bones. Hairs with roots are routinely processed for DNA analysis, while rootless hairs are either not tested or processed using mitochondrial DNA. Bones and teeth are submitted for human remains identifications for missing persons and mass disaster cases. DNA extraction from these low templates and degraded samples is challenging. The new InnoXtract DNA extraction method utilizes magnetic beads that are optimized to bind small DNA fragments, as small as 100 base pairs, to purify high-yield DNA from compromised samples. This validation study evaluates InnoXtract's ability to obtain amplifiable DNA from samples such as rootless hairs and skeletal remains. Studies performed include sensitivity, stability, repeatability, reproducibility, non-probative samples, and comparison to standard organic extractions. Sensitivity studies demonstrate average yield recoveries ranging from 53% to 100% and 73% to 85% for the InnoXtract hair and bone methods, respectively. Studies demonstrate consistent results across a range of sample types, such as insulted and un-insulted bone and teeth, as well as hair shafts from donors of various ages, gender, race, and hair characteristics. The InnoXtract bone method outperformed organic extraction. The method was successfully automated on a MagMAX™ Express-96, with recoveries over 70% relative to the manual version. InnoXtract has the potential as an automated high-throughput, high-yield bone extraction method with 6 h of total extraction time for up to 96 samples. The validation study results demonstrate that the InnoXtract kits produce high-yield and high-quality DNA from compromised bone, teeth, and hair shaft samples.     

非法鉴定胎儿性别不入罪之刑法谦抑缘由

非法鉴定胎儿性别是导致新生儿性别比例严重失调的主要原因,其是否入罪是一个颇具时代意义而又极其敏感的问题,应该引起人们的广泛关注。但社会问题当由社会政策调控,基于刑法谦抑考虑,立足于刑罚效益与人性,刑法并不能因此贸然介入。非法鉴定胎儿性别不入罪是立法者权衡利弊后明智的选择。     

调解中的博弈与对策——对一宗交通事故调解案的分析

调解的过程其实是一场博弈的过程。调解过程中当事人的空间位置以及相关的人文空间对警察作为调解组织者权力的实际运作可能产生重大的影响。为了调解成功,应当通过自然空间和人文空间的转变,重新构造权力格局,确保警察的权威。另外,陪同当事人参与调解的亲朋好友在调解过程中具有独特的地位,劝服他们是成功调解所必须解决的问题。     

偷渡组织研究

从2000年开始,研究小组在中国和美国两地取样研究了129个“蛇头”,对偷渡组织的形成原因、组织结构、内部分工、组织约束力和上层影响力、兴衰周期等特征及偷渡组织与传统的犯罪组织的区别进行比较研究,这一研究有助于我们能够更客观、准确地认识偷渡组织的规律与特点,认识二十年来偷渡现象发展变化的背景和原因。     

试论俄罗斯刑事附带民事诉讼赔偿制度

在国际人权保障制度中,对被害人人权保障是一项非常重要的内容,其中确立给予被害人精神损害赔偿,目前世界许多国家在立法上都有规定。现行的《俄罗斯联邦刑事诉讼法典》确立了刑事附带民事诉讼制度,对刑事被害人的精神损害赔偿问题进行了较为明确的规定。第44条规定了附带民事诉讼的民事原告人对于犯罪行为所受到的直接损害可以要求物质损害赔偿和精神损害赔偿。这种规定能够保障使得财产蒙受损失的被害人的正常生活或生产活动,对被害人精神上受到的伤害进行抚慰,从而全面地维护其合法权益。俄罗斯刑事附带民事诉讼赔偿制度在一定程度上为人权保障与国际接轨建立了通道。     

论政府机关人力资源管理的优化

政府机关人力资源管理在我国推行"人才强国"的战略中处于枢纽地位,它可以被看作一个主要由选人、育人、用人和留人四个环节进行循环运动以期达到整个人力资源管理动态平衡的生态环流系统。目前,由于在这四个环节上的沟通不畅或衔接不佳,导致政府机关人力资源管理系统的局部失衡乃至整个系统的不良运行,影响了政府效能的发挥。因此,政府机关要优化人力资源管理,寻求这四方面的动态平衡和整个人力资源管理系统的良性循环,从而最大限度地为提高政府效能服务。     

论国际刑法的正义价值

从法的属性看,国际刑法本质上是一种国家之间的制度,国际刑法的正义价值观首先源自国内刑法的正义价值观。由于现行国际法体系中没有超国家机构的存在,且国际法与国内法的渊源不同,国际刑法与国内刑法有相互符合的正义要素,但这些要素在各自领域中又存在着明显的内涵差异。国内刑法正义价值赖以支撑的平等、公平和正当等要素,急需国际刑法以立法和司法的实践加以确认和吸纳,并同时承袭国际法固有的正义基石。从国际人权法的视角分析,国际刑法的正义价值在于尊重和保护人权。国际法体系内的人权法与国际刑法,因正义价值的关联而构成了既对立又统一、相伴相生的矛盾共同体。     

人权的内核——兼论“以人为本”的宪法涵义

宪法上基本权利的保障有其基础理论和核心内容,西方实证宪法和宪政理论都肯定“人的尊严”构成了人权的内核。人的尊严是人权宪法保障的哲学依据,是人权生长的原点,是对基本权利限制的限制。“国家尊重和保障人权”是一种规范性表述,而非描述性表述,其中蕴含着一定的价值判断,表明“以人为本”已经从实证法形式上升为国家理念,构成了我国宪政制度建构的根本,是借鉴世界其他国家宪政和人权理论与制度的坚固基础。