The right to a fair criminal trial： A South African perspective

The right to a free and fair trial is one of the most basic human fights afforded to mankind. In South Africa, prior to 1994, this right was afforded to accused persons by common law only. The criminal justice system in South Africa however has been changing radically since 1994 due to the inception of first the Interim Constitution and later the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. South Africa has a history of human rights abuses-also with regard to criminal trials. The right to a fair trial is now constitutionally enshrined and protected by the Bill of Rights. As a result thereof the application of this right by the South African courts has also changed and what would have passed muster in this regard prior to 1994 would not necessarily do so now. This paper seeks to explain what the right to a fair criminal trial in a democratic South Africa entails with reference to South Africa＇s international obligations in this regard as well as the provisions of the South African Constitution and case law.     

AN EVALUATION OF THE CHINESE LEGAL SYSTEM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The philosophy of binary purpose in conjunction with a holistic approach reflects sustainable development.These ideas are in accordance with Chinese traditional philosophy and culture,as well as the contemporary economic and social development.It calls for the central government's support to achieve sustainable development at the initial stage.However,in the long run,this approach has drawbacks which are concealed Thus,prompt adjustment is needed.In the relationship between the systems of sustainable development and democracy,human rights,sovereign equality of states,and sustainable development are approbated by the Chinese law system.The bottleneck of sustainable development is linked to its ideological system.Integration is related to the bottleneck of binary purposes,good governance,public participation,and human rights.The government-oriented mechanism has a time element that is related to the bottleneck of utilitarianism and basic economic law.For China's sustainable development,breaking the bottleneck to improve the system and seizing the opportunity to make innovations are of great significance.     

The South African National Credit Act fails to protect homeowners against various interest rates hikes

Where a credit provider makes a proper financial assessment and finds that the low-income consumer will be able to satisfy in a timely manner all the obligations under all the credit agreements to which the consumer is a party he will in all probability conclude the credit agreement with the consumer. Obviously the affordability assessment made by the credit provider will depend on the prevailing interest rates at the time. There has been several interest rate hikes since June 2006 to December 2008 in South Africa that has had a detrimental impact on low-income home owners. Due to the various interest rate hikes and the prevailing high interest rates many consumers have lost their mortgaged homes. The South African National Credit Act of 2005 has failed to take into its purview cases such as these, and as a consequence there is no sort of consumer protection available for the low-income group who become over-indebted, because of the constant rising interest rates on their mortgage loans.     

Constitutional enforcement of socio-economic rights： South African case study

The entrenchment of socio-economic rights in the South African Constitution is a critique. It is submitted that a constitution that pretends to guarantee rights which cannot be judicially enforced should not be considered a serious legal document. In this paper, particular attention is paid to the far-reaching judgment by the Constitutional Court in Mazibuko and others v The City of Johannesburg. The questions posed and answered relate to issues such as the enforceability of socio-economic rights entrenched in the constitutions.     

THE LAWS,POLICIES, AND POLITICS OF REGULATING LEAD POLLUTION IN CHINA

This article examines the politics, laws and policies related to regulating lead pollution from lead-acid battery related manufacturing facilities in China. Particularly, this paper examines how China＇s Ministry of Environmental Protection （MEP） was able to force the temporary closure of nearly 90 percent of lead-battery manufacturing facilities within a period of months in 2011, after years of enforcement failures. The authors analyze the extent to which the Government＇s response to address lead pollution was based on laws and policies that can be systematically and consistently deployed by MEP as needed, or whether such measures are reliant on political will from outside MEP. Additionally, the authors are concerned with the extent to which China ＇s governance response to lead pollution primarily addresses environmental and public health issues; or rather it primarily addresses political and economic development issues, and whether this difference is significant. The article makes suggestions for how China can improve its environmental enforcement, and in so doing, contributes to a growing field of scholarship that examines environmental governance issues in the context of developing countries.     

Victim impact statements and the role of the South African criminologist

This article explores the developments in the plight of victims as well as the professional role of the South African criminologists in offering assistance to victims of crime by compiling victim impact statements on behalf of victims. The VIS has a significant contribution to make in a stage of the judicial process where acknowledgement of a victim takes place after a judgment or a guilty conviction. During the trial process a victim in legal terms does not exist. It is only at this final stage before sentencing that the court will view the complainant as a victim. It is imperative that the complainant＇s voice is heard as a victim-one who has suffered loss regardless of its shape and form. The all encompassing contribution of the VIS lies in its empowering nature due to the fact that it also can contribute to crime prevention by lowering the crime rate and reducing the cyclical nature of violence and crime.     

The environmental rights entered in the constitutions： A critique

Although environmental law is a relatively a new field of scholarship in South Africa, it is growing rapidly. The right to access to social security including environmental rights is found in the South African Bill of Rights, is being amplified by legislative and constitutional reforms, and developing case law in the courts. There is therefore a clear need to increase the understanding of the discipline through systematic research and teaching at various levels.1 The notion of including an “environmental right” in a domestic constitution is not novel in Africa. Most African countries have incorporated a constitutional provision that ensures the right to a healthy environment. Most of the problems that exist with environmental rights under the international and regional systems are absent under the domestic South African system. The way in which environmental rights have been formulated in international instruments, section 24 of the South African Constitution has been framed as an individual right and not as a collective one. Environmental degradation often affects groups of people and it could consequently argue that the right should protect groups and not just individuals.2     

THE CONCEPTUAL BASIS OF PRIVACY STANDARDS IN CHINA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CHINA’S PRIVACY LAW

China has one of the longest histories of civilization in the world. In ancient China, civil disputes were solved by moral principles of Confucianism, called li (礼). Therefore, at the time of the emergence of li, privacy was indirectly protected to some extent. However, li also restrained the legal privacy protection at that time. Moreover, the substantial meaning of traditional protection for privacy is quite different from that in modern society. In consequence, it is difficult to postulate that there was legal protection for privacy in ancient China, though privacy had been indirectly protected by the theory of li. If the right to privacy is seen as a milestone in its evolution in modern society, the modern concept and protection of privacy emerged in China almost a century later than in some Western countries. 1 The first consideration for the protection of privacy in China was a judicial interpretation by the Supreme Court in 1988.2 Since then, China has been developing its own protection for privacy. This article is to explore privacy standards in both ancient and modern China with two main parts: (a) The first part discusses the privacy in ancient China, including traditional Chinese concepts of privacy, traditional Chinese protection for privacy, and its evaluation; (b) the second part examines the privacy standards and privacy protection in modern China.     

The impact of mining rights on the local communities in Limpopo Province, South Africa： A comparative study

The paper aims to give an account of the substance and support the development of community based organizations in balancing their interests against the interests of the mining industries. It further examines the issue of the protection of social and economic right in the context of the globalization of the activities of multinational mining and petroleum companies, as illustrated by different instances of increasing state withdrawal and with regard to specific African countries. In Africa, economic liberalization has been accompanied by a programmed redefining of the role of the state withdrawal from certain areas： planning, production and social reform, a reorientation of state intervention from certain other areas, redistribution, regulation and mediation etc, with a view of promoting a particular type of growth strategy based on promotion of private economic interests. This process has led to the delegitimation and weakening of states which were already characterized by fiscal crises, notably in countries under structural adjustment. While the process of reconceptualisation of the role of the state is not specific to Africa, its impact has been particularly significant with regard to the possibility of implementing developmental strategies designed to protect social and economic rights.     

The duty of the state to eradicate the legacy of apartheid in South Africa versus resistance to change： Critical analysis of the Chairperson＇s Association Case

South Africa was colonized by European powers from as early as the seventeenth century and all aspects of the indigenous population were transformed, alternatively, subjected to the norms of life of the colonial powers. This led to the erosion of African names and the replacement therefore by colonial names. The South African Geographical Names Council Act is intended to address this legacy.     

＂With faces hidden while the walls were tightening＂： Applying international human rights standards to forensic psychology

This paper considers the relationship between forensic psychology and international human rights standards （and about the relationship between mental disability law and such standards in general）, especially in the contexts of the sorts of cases in which forensic psychologists are involved, the special issues in the context of nations with developing economies, and the relevance of international mental health norms. I conclude by focusing on the use of therapeutic jurisprudence as an interpretive tool, and offering suggestions as to how the practice of forensic psychologists can and should best incorporate international human rights standards and principles in their work.     

In defense of human rights of indigenous people

The nations of the world are generally shaped by a cultural diversity, which must be preserved. This leads to a fundamental and essential defense of indigenous groups and their human rights. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of defending human rights of indigenous cucapa, natives settled in the northeast of the state of Baja California in the Delta of the Colorado River, especially with regards to their fishing rights, which is their main source of food and survival. The environmental laws that have been issued in the country have greatly affected them, banning commercial fishing in some areas and totally in many other areas, adding to that a not to subtle performance by the appropriate regulation authorities, preventing them from fishing sea bass, hence their consumption and marketing, which is reflected in their socioeconomic status. For this reason and in response to this violation of their human rights, women have decided to enter a cucapa womb strike, which threatens the existence of the tribe by not reproducing.     

Towards a new paradigm of the right to self-determination in the world trading system

There has been a shifting meaning of the right to self-determination, since World War Ⅱ, from territorial decolonisation into other meanings such as the right for indigenous people, minorities, ethnics groups and women＇s rights in the territories of independent states. Furthermore, the new phenomenon signifies that it is also used implicitly in the world trading system by states in maintaining their sovereignty from trade liberalization. This has been a dilemma in understanding the right to self-determination within international law. This paper, however, critically evaluates the potential applicability of the right to self-determination in the world trading architecture. It begins by examining the origins, evolution and current struggle to the right to self-determination in the world trading system. It then addresses in General Exceptions, Safeguard Measures and Special and Preferential Treatment as existing and applied principles in the World Trade Organization. It is highlighted that the real world still needs the right to self-determination as a means of struggling for economic justice. The right to self-determination has shifted from the right to transfer territory politically into the right to the transfer of welfare economically and in particular, the right to self-determination of people into the fight to self-determination of states.     

Towards an understanding of Bosnian drug policy： Legislative and institutional implications

This paper describes the evolution of drug consumption in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the current scope of this problem, and the legislative and institutional response to drug issues. The analysis of the legal and institutional framework for controlling illicit drugs in Bosnia and Herzegovina reveals that Bosnian drug policy is repressive in its nature, that implementation gap is evident in the field of drugs, as well as lack of institutional capacities in this area. It is argued that the Bosnian government, despite international pressure, has failed to undertake comprehensive measures in this field, which directly affects the effectiveness and efficiency of Bosnian drug policy, and that it is better for post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina to present another obstacle for prosperity.     

Limitation of religious freedom to conform to the standards of an open and democratic society

One has freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. This claim is common, but it rests on a misunderstanding of what real freedom of religion entails. The most important thing to remember is that freedom of religion, if it is going to apply to everyone, also requires freedom from religion. Why is that？ One does not truly have the freedom to practice one＇s religious belief if one is not also required to adhere to any of the religious beliefs or rules of other religious. Freedom from religion does not mean, as some mistakenly seem to claim, being free from seeing religion in society. No one has the right not to see churches, religious expression, and other examples of religious belief in the nation, and those who advocate freedom of religion do not claim otherwise. What freedom from religion does mean, however, is the freedom from rules and dogmas of other people＇s religious beliefs so that people can be free to follow the demands of their own conscience, whether they take a religious form or not. Thus they have both freedom of religion and freedom from religion because they are two sides of the same coin.     

IDENTIFYING THE CHARACTER OF THE SEPARATE ACCOUNT OF THE INVESTMENT-LINKED INSURANCE PRODUCTS IN CHINA FROM THEORETICAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW PERSPECTIVES--A PERMANENT SOLUTION FOR ISSUES OF PRESENT LAWS AND REGULATIONS REGARDING THE ADMINISTRATION OF SUCH PRODUCTS

A brand new life insurance product, which is known as investment- linked insurance （ILl）, was first introduced in China in 2000 by the China Ping, an insurance company in Shanghai after the ILl was approved by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission （CIRC）. Due to the reduction of the interest rate on ordinary term deposits that began in 2000, ILI products spread quickly nationwide over a two-to-three year period. ILIs became popular with insurers, because they shift asset management risks to the insured and provide relief for the reverse spread problem facing the insurance companies. They became popular with insureds, because they offer an alternative to investments with a potentially higher yield. Although the market share of investment-linked insurance products in China has been noticeably increasing, laws and regulations regarding the administration of the ILI did not seem to correspond to the rapid growth of sales. In addition to the very limited number of articles in insurance law, the only two existing regulations that address the related supervisory issues are the ＂Tentative measures for the Administration of Investment-Linked Insurance＂ announced by the CIRC in 2000, and the ＂Measures Regulating the Information Disclosure of New Types of Insurance Products＂ enacted by the CIRC in 2009. Unfortunately, both Measures are inadequate to resolve complex supervisory problems such as asymmetry of information, suitability, or other standard settings for the conduct of ILl business. This paper argues that the root of their inadequacy lies in the failure of these measures to identify the character of the separate account in each ILl policy and its distinction from the life insurance policy to which it attaches. Without distinguishing the nature of the separate account from traditional ＂insurance ＂, it is virtually impossible to ascertain the category of the contract formed between each policyholder and insurer with respect to each such account and to determine which laws and regulations. On t     

WHAT SHOULD AN IDEAL E-ADMINISTRATION MODEL COMPRISE？

The dominance of computer and information technologies in the second half of the 20th century has begun to transform the conventional forms of concepts and relations in law and public administration. This transformation has beeome a trigger and an indispensable decisive factor of an ongoing change which has deep impacts on the social order. In this context, the conventional relations between citizens and administration have appeared in new forms with the emergence of the Internet and other information technologies. In administrative law, this innovation, mostly referred to as e- administration, results in changes in administration and administrative activities and applications. This change gives the signals of a start that will have deep impacts and transform both public administration and administrative law. The factors that influence the emergence and success of e-administration are the level of development, financial capability, level of infrastructure, national legislation and public support in a country. The recent global crisis has led to a decrease of acceleration in e-State applications. In international literature, Fang suggests a list of requirements for e-State and hence for e-administration. An expanded version of this list can be accepted as the ＂ideal＂ for the time being. Ten characteristics required for the good practice of e-administration are as follows：     

Educating adults： The critical role of experiential learni in legal education

For too long, legal educators around the world have treated their students as passive learners, dispensing knowledge either through lectures or through Socratic dialogue with individual students. Studies in adult learning have demonstrated the futility of these passive models in developing within our students the knowledge, skills, and values required to be effective and responsible lawyers. This article therefore describes a very different approach to legal education-an approach that uses experience as the crucible through which to develop the lawyers of tomorrow.     

TRANSSEXUAL PEOPLE IN THE WORKPLACE： ZERO TOLERANCE FOR DISCRIMINATION

Worldwide, transsexual people are often subjected to discrimination and prejudice generally, and, particularly, in the working environment. This has an effect on their physical and mental health. The paper investigates the nature of transsexualism, the change or alignment of a transsexual person＇s sexual expression with her or his internal identity by surgery and hormone therapy, the criteria for such a diagnosis, the causes of transsexualism and the prevalence of same. Relevant South African laws are discussed as background for an analytical discussion of two reported cases of discrimination against transsexual people in the workplace. The writer of the paper welcomes the approach of the Labour Court of utilising these opportunities to destigmatise transsexualism and zero-tolerance for unfair discrimination against transsexual people. These judgments had probably contributed to a better understanding of transsexualism, particularly since such matters seldomly reach the court. The writer views the judgments as wake-up calls for employers （i） not to repeat traditional prejudice towards transsexual people and （ii） to embrace the diversity of employees. She anticipates that this will lead to better employment relations in workplaces, which, in turn, will enhance the quality of working life for transsexual people. The coverage of the cases in the media will also assist in raising awareness of transsexualism among employers, the medical community and the wider population. Following these cases, she suggests that employers have to root out discriminatory practices against transsexual people completely and to display a more mature attitude towards such employees. Moreover, policy-makers in academia and the health sector will have to review, amongst others, the curricula of universities to provide for sexuality training,