Justifying Punishment: A Response to Douglas Husak

In ‘Why Criminal Law: A Question of Content?’, Douglas Husak argues that an analysis of the justifiability of the criminal law depends upon an analysis of the justifiability of state punishment. According to Husak, an adequate justification of state punishment both must show why the state is permitted to infringe valuable rights such as the right not to be punished and must respond to two distinct groups of persons who may demand a justification for the imposition of punishment, namely, individuals subjected to punishment and the society asked to support the institution of punishment. In this discussion, I analyse Husak’s account of the right not to be punished with an eye to showing that the parameters of that right do not extend to the cases that would make it controversial. I also consider two other distinct groups of persons who have equal standing to alleged offenders and society to demand justification for the imposition of state punishment, namely, direct victims of crimes and criminal justice officials.     

主权与人权关系的认识误区及立法衡平——对《香港基本法》第23条立法困境的思考

<香港基本法>在港实行14年以来,为香港社会经济的稳定繁荣发挥了重要的保障作用,并因此得到了广大香港民众的认同与支持.但基本法第23条有关维护国家安全立法的规定至今却未得落实,其主要原因在于对主权与人权这一对法制核心概念的认识存在偏差.因此,厘清主权与人权的概念和内涵,揭示主权绝对论和人权相对论的理论缺陷,重新对照基本...     

行政诉讼原告资格的利害关系要件分析

“利害关系”可以被分解为“权益”和“因果关系”两个要素。“权益”要素的判断存在“法律上权益说”和“事实上的权益说” ,但二者在实践中呈融合之势 ;“因果关系”要素操作性不强 ,难以把握 ,在全球呈枯萎之势 ;在“法律上权益说”的构架下 ,“因果关系”有被“权益”吸收的可能。我国宜采用“权益”要素为主、“因果关系”要素为辅的模式解决原告资格问题。     

试论公民良好环境权的公法确认

公民的良好环境权已逐渐被国际公认为第三代人权,是指公民享有在维持其个体尊严和基本生活品质所必需的安全、健康、舒适和富有美感的公共环境中生活的权利。在公法上确认公民的良好环境权既是必要的,也是可能的,具体方式应是先在宪法中确认公民享有良好环境权,而后在环保基本法和各单行法律法规中规定重要的实体权利和程序权利,并通过行政诉讼、行政补偿等制度对受到损害的良好环境权予以有效的公法救济。     

Church–state conflict in Moldova: the Bessarabian Metropolitanate

The article’s main focus is the relationship between the re-established Bessarabian Orthodox Metropolitanate and the government of the post-Soviet Republic of Moldova. The article demonstrates that the Moldovan government refused recognition to the nascent church until 2002 primarily for two reasons: first and foremost, the Moscow Patriarchate opposed the idea of another Orthodox Christian church in Moldova outside of its jurisdiction; second, the government feared that the newly independent Republic of Moldova would fall under the influence of neighboring Romania, whose Orthodox Church offered patronage to the Bessarabian Metropolitanate. After a historical overview of the Orthodox Church in the Republic of Moldova, the article first presents and analyzes the history of the conflict between the Bessarabian Metropolitanate and the post-Soviet Moldovan government, and second, the European Court of Human Rights verdict ordering the government to recognize the Metropolitanate, before verdict’s implementation, and reactions to it. All these are done with an eye on intra-national relations among Moldova, Romania, and Russia, as well as those between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with this conflict.     

对证人拒证问题的几点思考

鉴于证人证言的重要性,我国刑法规定,凡是了解案件情况的人(证人)都有作证义务,但是侦查机关在办案收集证据时,经常遇到证人无理拒证或不敢作证的情况。证人拒绝作证,不仅仅是证人缺乏社会责任感、正义感的问题,而且主要也由我国法律制度本身的缺陷造成。因此,针对证人拒证问题,必须加强对证人的保护,明确证人的权利,对拒不履行作证义务的证人给予有效制裁并确立证人特权原则。     

联合国人权理事会法律制度探析

2006年3月15日,第60届联合国大会通过决议,设立联合国人权理事会,取代已运行60年的联合国人权委员会。作为联大权力之下的指导和协调联合国人权活动的机关,新的人权理事会在其职权范围、法律机制和执行能力等方面都体现了对其前身——人权委员会的扬弃。特别是“普遍定期审查”机制的创建和建议权的行使等,可以使人权理事会更好地发挥作用。我国应继续参与联合国人权理事会各项规则的制定,与发展中国家和发达国家一道,推动世界人权事业的发展。     

社会组织在支持未成年残疾人参与权利实现中的功能分析

本文试图通过对一名聋哑未成年人的生活史和生活环境的考察,分析非正式和正式社会组织在实现未成年残疾人参与权中的功能。文章发现,聋哑未成年人在社会参与方面的困难,不完全是由于他自身的听语障碍,也由于主流社会没有为残疾人提供有效参与的条件和环境。聋哑人的非正式组织在聋哑未成年人参与权的实现方面,发挥着重要的作用,其主要功能包括交流工具的学习、同类人员的聚集、交流和互助、以及利益表达等。     

第三人侵害债权制度研究

债权是相对权,具有非公示性。传统民法为此否认第三人对债权的侵害。但随着学理演进和实践的需要,各国在20世纪都先后确立第三人侵害债权制度。文章从学理角度和比较法角度对我国建立第三人侵害债权制度进行了论证。并从构成要件、免则事由、行为形态、责任承担方式等方面提出了对该制度的设计。     

工会依法维护困难职工群体合法权益责无旁贷

当前,把困难职工群体作为维护和服务的主要对象,是工会服务于党的中心任务的需要,是工会义不容辞的责任。