A follow-up investigation on the quality of medical documents from examinations of Basque incommunicado detainees: the role of the medical doctors and national and international authorities in the prevention of ill-treatment and torture

According to the United Nations and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), torture and ill-treatment continues to be a problem during incommunicado detentions in Spain. CPT has visited Spain and published recommendations for improvements of preventive medical examinations. However, no scientific assessment of the impact of such recommendations exists. The objectives of this study were to assess the quality of documents from preventive medical examinations and the prevalence of alleged ill-treatment and compare findings with similar data from a previous study. Documents issued by state employed doctors describing medical examination of Basques held incommunicado during 2000-2005 were reviewed. The analysis covered allegations of ill-treatment and existence and quality of information essential for medical appraisal of allegations of ill-treatment. The material was collected by a non-governmental organisation. Of 425 documents concerning 118 persons, 85% had no formal structure and the format recommended by CPT was never used. None of 127 documents, concerning 70 persons with allegations of ill-treatment had an overall conclusion on the likelihood of ill-treatment. Twelve to 68% of necessary data were totally missing, and only 13-38% of existing information was sufficient. There was significant variation between the reporting of individual doctors, but in general the quality was unacceptable, although somewhat higher than in the previous study. The prevalence of allegations of ill-treatment was as high as previously. There were more reports of psychological ill-treatment and procedures of forced physical exhaustion, but fewer reports of beatings. In conclusion, there was no indication that the conditions of incommunicado detainees have improved substantially over the past 15 years and the standard of medical reporting was unacceptable. The Spanish authorities should give clear objectives and guidelines for medical examinations of detainees. An independent forensic specialist with the overall academic responsibility for preventive medical examinations of detainees should be employed to supervise state employed doctors. The present article shows the necessity for harmonization of medical practice in documentation of torture.     

Zur Strafbarkeit des Führens eines Adelstitels

Durch das Adelsaufhebungsgesetz wird das Führen eines Adelstitels untersagt und ein Verstoß gegen dieses Verbot mit einer Geldstrafe bis 20.000,– Kronen oder einer primären Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 6 Monaten bedroht. Die Regelungen dieses Gesetzes wurden durch eine Vollzugsanweisung näher ausgeführt, wobei diese Konkretisierungen teilweise gravierend von den Bestimmungen des Adelsaufhebungsgesetzes abweichen. Nach Auseinandersetzung mit der Lehre gelangt der Autor zum Ergebnis, dass für Übertretungen des Adelsaufhebungsgesetzes ein Maximalgeldstrafsatz von € 0,14 Anwendung findet, dass aber auch eine Verhängung einer primären Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 6 Monaten durch eine Verwaltungsbehörde zulässig ist. Außerdem wird der Vollzugsanweisung zum Adelsaufhebungsgesetz ein im Verhältnis zum Adelsaufhebungsgesetz eigenständiger Regelungsgehalt abgesprochen.     

The Transformation of Private Law Through Competition

This paper traces the changing role of competition and its effects on private law in three different stages of the Internal Market project: (1) the promotion of competition in the original Internal Market both via contracts (competitive contract law) and through competition among legal orders (Common European Sales Law); (2) the suspension of competition in the face of financial crisis; and (3) the revitalisation of competition in the Digital Single Market. Private law—broadly understood as regulatory private law—is being deployed to achieve competing, if not conflicting, policy goals. At this stage, it is not possible, nor would it be desirable, to provide a coherent account of these phenomena. Clear‐cut overarching values cannot be identified either. Transformation through competition is just another take on European experimentalism.     

Meinungsäußerungsfreiheit und Schutz journalistischer Quellen

Juristische Blätter -     

Global citizenship as a national project: the evolution of segye shimin in South Korean public discourse

The idea of global citizenship in contemporary South Korean public discourse has revolved mainly around a national endeavor to boost the county's stature and competitiveness amid economic globalization. Based on a review of two decades of published media references to segye shimin (‘global citizen’ in the Korean language), this article shows that the specific usages of segye shimin – mainly by elites from government, academia, and journalism – underscore how the ‘developmental citizenship’ that marked South Korea's past authoritarian military regimes has carried on since the transition to civilian-led democracy. In contrast with the burgeoning academic discourse on cosmopolitanism that focuses heavily on moral responsibilities to humanity and the planet, South Korea's discourse of global citizenship has been closely aligned with neoliberalism and filled with exhortations to the domestic population to overcome numerous perceived liabilities seen as impeding the country's advancement. While global citizenship discourse in South Korea has emphasized top-down national strategic imperatives, a bottom-up approach to cosmopolitanism is also emerging as the country gains confidence and the notion of segye shimin gradually gains traction across the wider society.     

Managerial incentives and access price regulation

Policy makers have identified the non-discrimination principle as a key instrument to regulate vertically integrated firms in control of upstream bottlenecks. It has been argued that the non-discrimination principle may create a level playing field, but at the expense of higher consumer prices. However, this rests on the assumption that the firms do not respond strategically to the regulation. We show that a non-discrimination requirement makes the vertically integrated firm behave more aggressively. Consequently, non-discrimination regulation rarely creates a level playing field. Neither does it necessarily increase end-user prices. Indeed, we show that end-user prices may fall.      

Vernachlässigte Potenziale? Zur Situation von Jugendlichen ohne Bildungs- und Ausbildungsabschluss

Ausgehend von vorliegenden Befunden zur Bildungsarmut in Deutschland werden zunächst einzelne Aspekte des ?deutschen Bildungsnotstands“ vertieft und aktualisiert. Dazu gehören die sich bereits jetzt abzeichnenden Entwicklungen im Bereich der Bildungsarmut in den kommenden Jahren, die Bildungschancen von Immigranten, die Chancen von Niedrigqualifizierten auf dem Arbeitsmarkt, die Zugangschancen zur Teilnahme an Maßnahmen und der Maßnahmenerfolg. In einem zweiten Teil stellen wir eine zusammenfassende Typologie vor, mit welcher das mismatch von Personen und Positionen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt übergreifend behandelt werden könnte. Der Beitrag schließt mit einem Ausblick, in dem dringliche Handlungsfelder thematisiert und diskutiert werden.