Turkey’s New Disinformation Bill: Disturbing Trend Toward Digital Authoritarianism
In 2002, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in Turkey, defeating Kemalist hegemony, there was a glimmer of hope in the West for the overwhelmingly Muslim country. However, the experience of Turkey over the past 20 years is one descending into an authoritarian regime with clampdowns [...]
Rights activists slam Houthi rebel forces for blocking Yemen roads in violation of international law
Roads in and around Taizz, Yemen’s third largest city, have been blocked by rebel forces since 2015 in violation of international humanitarian law, provoking ire from a coalition of 15 human rights organizations who banded together Monday to call for meaningful action in the region to ensure the free flow of medication, food, and other [...]
International Law in the “State of Nature”: A Contradiction in Terms
“Where there is no Common Power, there is no Law….” Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Chapter XIII The “State of Nature” as “State of War” From its modern beginnings in the seventeenth century – more precisely, since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 – international law has presumed firm distinctions between “national interest” and “world interest.” Rather [...]
Palestine rights groups warn against proposed Israel Facebook law
The Palestinian Digital Rights Coalition (PDRC) and the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) released a statement Wednesday warning against the passage of Israel’s “Facebook law.” According to the groups, the proposed law “grants Israeli courts the power to demand the removal of user-generated content on social media content platforms that can be perceived as [...]
Russian court sanctioned activists doctor who treated Alexei Navalny
A Russian Court on Thursday imposed one year of restrictions on ophthalmologist Dr Anastasia Vasileya. The sanctions restrict her movements and require monthly mandatory checks with the Russian state supervisor. She is also disallowed from leaving Moscow or attending mass events such as protests or concerts. She was first introduced into the limelight after treating Opposition [...]
For the past 18 months, ever since February 29, 2020, when President Donald J. Trump Jr. finalized a deal with the Taliban to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, international organizations and civil society groups have been warning of the potential for increased violence and potential mass atrocities in the country. [...]
In JURIST’s latest explainer, we explore Title 42 § 265, which allows the U.S. President to prohibit the entry of people or property into the United States whenever the Surgeon General determines that there is a serious danger of the introduction of communicable disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued an order on March 20, [...]
Here is How America's Subtle Alterations to Democracy and Social Justice Avoid Political Monopolies
To a U.S. immigrant who grew up (1972-1992) under a de facto dictatorship where election fraud and accepted discrimination were a societal norm, the concepts of fair and transparent elections, “All men are created equal,” and “equal opportunity …” were unfamiliar. They became a substitute of justice for the customary sense of helplessness. I felt [...]
The Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Period that governs the Transitional Government in Sudan has recently been amended to incorporate the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan. The amendment has ignited a fierce political and constitutional debate between those who support the amendment and those who stand against it. This article aims to briefly make [...]
A few months ago, the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences set a price tag on their drug remdesivir, the first medication shown to be effective for treating coronavirus. The price was set at $520 per vial or $3,120 per treatment course. Experts have called the price “not exorbitant,” and some expected a higher price tag. Yet, [...]
