Cosmopolitan Law

The European Union need not choose between the two options of a federalist constitution or a loose intergovernmental association of states. There is a third possibility. This is described by Kant as an order of perpetual peace, whereby states undertake to one another to be good republics, to join in a federation of peace, and to respect the rights of each other's citizens. For Kant this corresponds to a combination of principles of constitutional law, international law and, a new category, 'cosmopolitan law'. If we adopt Kant's concepts we can see, first, that the international law of human rights has become some kind of cosmopolitan law of the international community and that, second, parts of European Community law can also be seen as cosmopolitan law for its member states. The features of cosmopolitan law are that it does not follow a conventional theory of sources of law, it does not respect traditional state sovereignty and does not require a hierarchy of institutions for its interpretation and application.     

The Arms Trade Treaty and international humanitarian law: a Commonwealth perspective

The entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in December 2014 created an historic opportunity to reduce the human cost of the widespread and poorly regulated supply of conventional arms. The treaty establishes common standards for the international trade of conventional weapons and seeks to ensure that weapons are not used in the commission of war crimes, serious violations of international human rights law and other offences. The paper reviews the definitions and the scope of the treaty and highlights the contributions made by Commonwealth member countries. It makes recommendations to Commonwealth member countries regarding effective implementation and their obligations.     

Legal identity for all

This paper examines Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 on legal identity for all. It considers notions of legal identity in international law and looks at legal frameworks for legal identity in Commonwealth member countries, including in respect of birth registration, national identity registers and cards, legal identity requirements for transactions and services, and new forms of digital identity. The paper examines specific legal issues relevant to identity, including privacy and data protection, identity theft and property rights. It concludes by reviewing the latest developments in concepts of identity, and applicable emerging technologies. It makes recommendations in respect of legal and policy reform that Commonwealth member countries may undertake with a view to meeting SDG Target 16.9.     

The impact of international human rights norms—a “law undergoing evolution”

Abstract

In this paper, the author outlines the history of, and reasons for, the growing impact of international human rights jurisprudence upon the work of judges in New Zealand, Australia, England and elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Nations. Formerly, international and domestic law were virtually entirely separate. But now, there is increasing legal authority to support the use of international human rights jurisprudence in domestic judicial decision‐making. It can be done in the application of constitutional or statutory provisions reflecting universal principles stated in international treaties. But, according to the Bangalore Principles, it can also be done where there is a gap in the common law or where a local statute is ambiguous. The judge may then fill the gap or resolve the ambiguity by reference to international human rights jurisprudence which will ensure that domestic law conforms, as far as possible, to such principles.

In its decision in Tavita, the New Zealand Court of Appeal declared this to be “a law … undergoing evolution”. The author outlines some of the impediments and problems for the evolution. But he also collects the reasons why it is a natural and inevitable phase of the common law in the current age. He suggests that judges should be aware of the developments. In appropriate cases, they should inform their decisions with relevant international human rights jurisprudence. That will at least ensure that they develop domestic human rights law in a principled way, consistently with international law, and not in an idiosyncratic fashion “discovering” new fundamental rights which may otherwise be criticised as mere judicial invention.     

Uganda: constitutional law

The implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL) is a continuous and evolving process. As such, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) co-operates closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat with the aim to advise and support Commonwealth states on developments in IHL and to assist them in meeting their IHL treaty obligations. The present update highlights some of the key issues and recent developments in IHL that are of interest to Commonwealth states.     

Whistleblowing Around the World Law,Culture & Practice

International humanitarian law (IHL) is a field in constant evolution and the International Committee of the Red Cross works closely with states to assist them in complying with their international treaty obligations. The present update provides an overview of the main developments that have taken place in IHL, with a particular focus on Commonwealth states.     

Race and Law in Fortress Europe

The universality of human rights is undermined by the principle of territorial supremacy. This allows member states of the EU to discriminate against those who are not citizens of the Union. Moreover, the European Convention on Human Rights and the EC Race Directive are incapable of redressing collective racial or ethnic disadvantage because they do not provide for the enforcement of positive social, economic and cultural obligations. These limitations are assessed in the light of current political and legal developments, using as the main illustration the case of the European Roma. An analysis is provided of obligations to respect, to protect and to fulfil social rights, which could be used when challenging the actions of public authorities and securing access for individuals to public facilities and services. An inclusionary approach would emphasise that equality is central to human rights, and that 'outsiders' such as migrant workers and asylum-seekers have human rights.     

The Role of International Legal Norms in Ensuring the "Right to a Legal Defense"

On 22 November 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted the "Declaration of the Rights and Freedoms of the Individual and Citizen."¹ Article 1 of the declaration states that universally recognized international norms on human rights have priority over the laws of the RSFSR where they directly give rise to rights and duties of citizens. But, in the words of A.M. Vasil'ev, this is "really only a defended, not a proclaimed right."² The systems of international and Soviet law set down the procedure and the order of realization of rights and freedoms and the ways and means for their legal defense. An important guarantee for the realization of rights and freedoms is ensuring the individual's right to a legal defense.     

The Commonwealth of Nations today: historical anachronism or focus for universal values?

The creation of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in July 2010, to report on future structures of the Commonwealth of Nations, focuses attention on the activities that the Commonwealth and its Secretariat perform well and those that require improvement. The author, now a member of the EPG, explains how the Commonwealth evolved out of the British Empire; the importance of the links of law, language and tradition that bind it together; and the activities that are well performed: professional links; education and publications; electoral observations; provision of good offices; and consensus over core values. He notes useful new initiatives, including periodic human rights reviews; outreach to youth; pursuit of women’s equality; and the use of new information technology. However, he also identifies a number of areas of weakness: publicity and communications; secretariat organisation; the focus of some activities; and effective attention to reported human rights abuses. Given the creation of the EPG, this is a timely survey of the challenges that lie before it and the Commonwealth.     

Piercing the Family's Private Veil: Family Violence, International Human Rights, and the Cross-Cultural Record

International law does not take family violence seriously enough. Although reviews and commentaries of international law regularly ignore family violence, such violence increasingly becomes a central concern of modern international treaties and plans of action. This article details how international law, which still tends to limit itself to inter-state behavior, seeks to transform local cultural practices and forms of interpersonal relations that lead to family violence. Although these developments largely remain in their infancy, the article proposes that international human rights developments are both legitimate and necessary.     

The Right to a Healthy Environment,Human Rights andSustainable Development

The concept of sustainable development is presented as a solution able to cope with development needs and the preservation of the environment, protecting it for present and future generations. The right to a healthy environment may be part of existing international law being implemented through human rights instruments. The procedural aspect of the right to a healthy environment embodies the right to information, the right to participate and the right to effective remedies. Participation in the decision-making process and available and effective means of redress are essential features of the right to a healthy environment. Expressed in the field of human rights law, these principles convey the notions that citizens are entitle to participate. The Aarhus Convention links environmental protection and human rights norms and is the first international legally binding instrument elaborating on Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and recognizing the right to a healthy environment.     

Unincorporated Treaties and Small States

For small, developing, common law dualist jurisdictions aspiring to good governance based on the rule of law, their written constitutions are normally expressed to be their supreme law which regulates the allocation of governmental powers and accords their citizens a measure of predictability in the evaluation of their civil rights and determining their civic responsibilities. Predictably, therefore, competent decision‐makers of such states are extremely wary of international developments in treaty‐making and judicial decision‐making which, unwittingly or by design, operate to subject the interpretation and application of their supreme law to external determinants hostile or indifferent to their indigenous value systems. In the premises, dualism as historically understood and practiced by small, weak, sovereignties is seen as a normative prophylactic device for safeguarding and sustaining their preferred values. Drawing on a wealth of case law and legal literature, this article undertakes an in‐depth evaluation of the legal ramifications of unincorporated treaties on dualist jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on small Caricom Member States. Reference is made to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which has been called upon to examine and pronounce on recent innovative determinations of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) and which have been expressed by competent regional decision‐makers to introduce unacceptable levels of uncertainty into the administration of criminal justice in the Caribbean Community. It is submitted that the determinations of the JCPC reached in Thomas v Baptiste and reaffirmed in Neville Lewis v Attorney‐General of Jamaica, which ratified unincorporated treaties concluded by the executive, appear to have far‐reaching negative implications for the Member States of the Caribbean Community.     

The Fate of Public International Law: Between Technique and Politics

Public international law hovers between cosmopolitan ethos and technical specialization. Recently, it has differentiated into functional regimes such as 'trade law', 'human rights law', 'environmental law' and so on that seek to 'manage' global problems efficiently and empower new interests and forms of expertise. Neither of the principal legal responses to regime-formation – constitutionalism and pluralism – is adequate, however. The emergence of regimes resembles the rise of nation States in the late nineteenth century. But if nations are 'imagined communities', so are regimes. Reducing international law to a mechanism to advance functional objectives is vulnerable to the criticisms raised against thinking about it as an instrument for state policy: neither regimes nor states have a fixed nature or self-evident objectives. They are the stories we tell about them. The task for international lawyers is not to learn new managerial vocabularies but to use the language of international law to articulate the politics of critical universalism.     

Developments of interest to the Commonwealth in the regulation of international disaster response, 2008–09

This article summarizes key developments of interest to the Commonwealth in the regulation of international disaster response over the last year. It includes discussion of global and regional instruments impacting on Commonwealth states as well as steps taken at the national level by some Commonwealth members.     

《保护的责任》对"不干涉内政原则"的影响

2001年12月,"干预与国家主权委员会"发布了《保护的责任》的研究报告.报告提出了这样的中心观点,即一个国家有责任保护本国国民免受可以避免的灾难,具体说就是免遭大规模屠杀、强奸和饥饿.如果这个国家没有能力或者不愿意履行它的这种责任,那么国际社会就应当对此进行干预,从而代替这个国家履行这种保护的责任.这种观点强调了尊重人权的重要性,这本是无可厚非的.但是,这种观点同时也对国际法的基本原则,特别是不干涉内政原则造成了冲击.这引起了包括中国在内的国际社会的注意.     

论国际人权法对国际刑法的影响

冷战结束后,国际人权法获得了较为广阔的生长空间,国际刑法也进入复兴和快速发展的阶段。国际人权法对国际刑法各个领域的影响都十分明显,从基本原则到具体规则,从实体法到程序法,从刑罚制度设计到刑罚的执行,并努力在保护被害人与保障被告人权利两者之间保持微妙的平衡。然而,透过国际人权法推动国际刑法发展的帷幔,不难发现其背后＂人权＂和＂主权＂之间的紧张博弈：为保护人权,国际人权法引领着国际刑法试图突破国家领土的藩篱进而穿透国家主权的坚硬＂铠甲＂;国家则奋力祭起＂主权＂大旗并诉诸＂司法独立＂的坚固盾牌,抵御某些外部政治实体利用国际刑事司法机构干涉其内政、侵蚀其＂司法独立＂,以最大限度地维护国家利益。     

Equity before ‘Equity’

The notion of ‘equity’ is undergoing conceptual repositioning in international law today, embracing individuals as well as states and gaining an association with human rights and the politics of protest. In the context of these developments, the present paper enquires into the premodern roots of this ancient and rich term through three historical vignettes: first, the emergence of aequitas in Roman law – as a source of law anchored in analogy and empathy – and in particular its relevance to the ambiguous status of slaves; second, the importance of ‘natural equity’ to the consolidation of ‘natural rights’ during the Franciscan poverty debate in 14th century Europe, and finally, ‘common equity’ in the rights-based constitutional order proposed by the Levellers in 1640s England. In its root sense, I conclude, what we might call ‘radical equity’ has historically lent itself to trenchant critique of the law, centred on the individual as subject of right.     

Assessing Testimonial Evidence in Asylum Proceedings: Guiding Standards from the International Criminal Tribunals

Although credibility determinations rest at the core of refugeeprotection, international refugee law has failed to developa body of evidentiary principles that is tailored to the uniquedimensions of the testimony of those seeking asylum. This articleexamines recent developments in assessing oral testimony ininternational criminal law. International criminal law judges,like national asylum adjudicators, must transcend geographic,linguistic, cultural, educational and psychological barriersin order to assess the credibility of testimony. As a result,these new international courts have developed a body of principlesof international evidence law for assessing the testimony ofalleged victims of, and witnesses to, human rights abuses. Currentsocial science research on the asylum procedures in severaljurisdictions reveals that asylum decision makers often failto adapt the determination process to account for the realitiesof refugees presenting their cases in legal fora, directingproceedings with a ‘presumptive skepticism’ of claims.It is argued that the nuanced and rigourous model for the assessmentof the testimonial evidence of alleged victims and witnessesof human rights abuses in war crimes trials introduces effectiveinternational norms for the assessment of credibility in asylumproceedings.     

公私领域划分与国际法中的性别歧视

国际法通过公私领域的划分确定其管辖范围,并避免干涉主权国家的内政。女性主义者指出,这种划分包含着对女性的规范性歧视和结构性歧视。国际法的基本术语如国家、主权等,排除了国际法对国内违反人权事项的管辖,维护了男性在国内的特权地位。在国际人权法领域,在确定是否给予女性以人权保护时,也是以维护男性利益为出发点。女性主义方法揭示了国际法中存在的性别歧视,但该方法也存在许多问题,需要加以注意。     

荷兰刑事诉讼权利保障的法律基石

荷兰刑事司法受到了现代人权法律的深刻影响。在荷兰刑事诉讼过程中,诉讼权利保障主要依据国际性和地区性的人权条约以及相关国内法。荷兰刑事诉讼程序运作体现了对人权的真切关怀：荷兰签署加入了多部国际公约和欧洲区域公约,国际条约、欧洲人权法院的判例法都对荷兰刑事诉讼中的人权保障起到了重要作用。在国内法体系中,荷兰的《宪法》、《刑事诉讼法》以及其他法律也规定了刑事诉讼程序权利保障。荷兰的法院、检察机关组织运作体制和诉讼制度设计较为完备,保障了诉讼参与者在刑事诉讼程序中的权利。在刑事审前程序中,检察机关发挥了主导作用,但参与其问的侦查法官则对检察官和警察的侦查权形成了有效制衡。从刑事诉讼权利保障法律体系的整体而言,荷兰审前程序权利保障的体制属于适度的职权主义诉讼模式,而审判程序中的权利保障体制则兼采当事人主义和职权主义的混合式诉讼模式。