It wasn't all white light before Prism: Law enforcement practices in gathering data abroad,and proposals for further transnational access at the Council of Europe

This is a brief comment on a meeting held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, which discussed ways of improving transnational access to data by law enforcement through the Cybercrime Convention. In particular, the possible introduction of a new protocol, and a guidance note on art. 32(b), were considered. It is argued that there are serious concerns with both proposals. Moreover, the meeting revealed a surprising lack of knowledge as to current levels of cooperation between law enforcement and foreign service providers.     

Human Rights Watch v Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Victim Status,Extraterritoriality and the Search for Principled Reasoning

In Human Rights Watch v Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal found that the relevant standard of ‘victim status’ that applies in secret surveillance cases consists in a potential risk of being subjected to surveillance and that the European Convention on Human Rights does not apply to the surveillance of individuals who reside outside of the UK. This note argues that the Tribunal's finding regarding the victim status of the applicants was sound but that the underlying reasoning was not. It concludes that the Tribunal's finding on extraterritoriality is unsatisfactory and that its engagement with the European Court of Human Rights case law on the matter lacked depth. Finally, the note considers the defects of the Human Rights Watch case, and the case law on extraterritoriality more generally, against the backdrop of the place of principled reasoning in human rights adjudication.     

“利用影响力受贿罪”若干问题研究——以《联合国反腐败公约》为视角

为因应现实中复杂多样的腐败行为以及履行《联合国反腐败公约》所确立的义务,《刑法修正案（七）》第13条设立了刑法规范对部分影响力交易行为予以规制。其罪名宜确定为“利用影响力受贿罪”。相较于《联合国反腐败公约》,本罪处罚范围明显过窄。本罪主体中近亲属的范围应依刑事诉讼法划定;同时,国家工作人员亦有构成本罪的可能。     

《欧洲人权公约》下儿童权利的保护

《欧洲人权公约》①所倡导的保护和发展人权与基本自由的理念对世界各国产生了深远影响,其中对于联合国《儿童权利公约》中规定的四项儿童基本权利的保护甚详。《欧洲人权公约》作为世界上第一部区域性的人权公约意义非凡,虽然其仅仅只是一部区域性的人权公约,但是其所倡导的保护和发展人权和基本自由的理念却对世界各国产生了深远影响。《欧洲人权公约》虽未设置专门的章节保护儿童权利,但儿童权利在公约的执行和遵守中得到了全面、充分的保护。     

我国刑法规定的“贿赂”范围之检讨——以《联合国反腐公约》为视角

进入新世纪不久,在国际社会共同努力下,《联合国反腐败公约》应运而生。《公约》体现了国际社会共同的意愿,成为规范和推动世界范围反腐败斗争的法律指南。然而,作为《公约》的缔约国,我国《刑法》规定的贿赂＂财物＂比《公约》规定的贿赂＂不正当好处＂范围要窄得多,这种规定对我国严密刑事法网、顺利进行国际刑事司法合作以及践行条约义务,都将产生不利影响。     

Cyber Weapons Convention

World leaders are beginning to look beyond temporary fixes to the challenge of securing the Internet. One possible solution may be an international arms control treaty for cyberspace. The 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) provides national security planners with a useful model. CWC has been ratified by 98% of the world’s governments, and encompasses 95% of the world’s population. It compels signatories not to produce or to use chemical weapons (CW), and they must destroy existing CW stockpiles. As a means and method of war, CW have now almost completely lost their legitimacy. This article examines the aspects of CWC that could help to contain conflict in cyberspace. It also explores the characteristics of cyber warfare that seem to defy traditional threat mitigation.     

Introduction: exploring and explaining the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate

This introduction lays the groundwork for this Special Issue by providing an overview of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), and by introducing three main analytical themes. The first theme concerns the emergence and continuation of the APP. The contributions show that the emergence of the APP can be attributed to international factors, including the United States’ rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, and its search for an alternative arena for global climate governance, and other countries’ wish to maintain good relations with the US; as well as domestic factors, such as the presence of bureaucratic actors in favour of the Partnership, alignment with domestic priorities, and the potential for reaping economic benefits through participation. The second theme examines the nature of the Partnership, concluding that it falls on the very soft side of the hard–soft law continuum and that while being branded as a public–private partnership, governments remain in charge. Under the third theme, the influence which the APP exerts on the post-2012 United Nations (UN) climate change negotiations is scrutinised. The contributions show that at the very least, the APP is exerting some cognitive influence on the UN discussions through its promotion of a sectoral approach. The introduction concludes with outlining areas for future research.

China in the Asia–Pacific Partnership: consequences for UN climate change mitigation efforts?

This article discusses China’s motives for participation in the Asia–Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), and whether this has or will have consequences for its participation and efforts in the UN track of international climate governance. In order to discuss these issues, it also provides an outline of key national priorities and explains the nature of China’s involvement in both the UN track and the APP. It suggests that the APP is a complement to the UN process, not a competitor, in the case of China. APP participation represents a win–win situation in terms of the transfer of technology and know-how for solving challenges related to energy security and greenhouse gas emissions. For the Chinese leadership, this seems preferable to taking on UN commitments which it fears would impede economic development. The APP’s projects also seem to complement the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism project in China. This article argues that there is little indication that China would make less of an effort under the UN track.

《联合国反腐败公约》中的引渡制度探析

<联合国反腐败公约>是目前反腐败方面最重要的国际法律文件,它筑起了一道强大的国际反腐法律强网.实现对腐败犯罪的引渡是国际反腐败的一种自然延伸.而<联合国反腐败公约>关于引渡的规定既是对缔约国的要求,也是各国进行国际合作的有效路径.为了实现对腐败犯罪的引渡,接受"死刑犯不引渡原则"则是我国的上上选择.     

2005年《选择法院协议公约》拒绝承认与执行外国判决的理由

2005年<选择法院协议公约>中的拒绝承认与执行规则是迄今为止最为详尽的关于间接管辖权的国际统一规则,其中的拒绝承认与执行的理由是间接管辖权规则的核心问题.起草者希望公约能与1958年纽约公约处理国际仲裁一样成功,新公约有可能成为国际民商事诉讼领域第一部全球性的多边条约.公约的间接管辖权规则虽然仅适用于协议管辖权依据,但是对于因其他管辖权依据引起的判决承认与执行,也具有非常重要的参考作用.