Human Rights

Right to Privacy in the Age of Big Data: Singapore’s HIV Leak

By Meghan Knapp, Staff Member On January 22, HIV-positive residents in Singapore received a phone call from the government telling them that their information had been leaked from a private government database.[1] The massive data breach affected more than 14,000 people, all of whom had been forced to put their information into the national registry […]

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Saudi Crown Prince Continues to Implement Sweeping Reforms to Create a More “Moderate” Saudi Arabia

Tom Overhaug, Staff Member The House of Saud has ruled Saudi Arabia since 1932 with more or less complete control.[1] The current king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is 87 years old.[2] With only a brief amount of time left in his reign, King Salman has been making efforts to appoint a crown prince with

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Cautious Optimism for Somali Sexual Assault and Rape Reform

By Abigail Hencheck, Staff Member Somalia does not have a great reputation for women’s rights. It hasn’t ratified the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)[1], women only marginally participate in politics[2], and structural barriers often prevent women from enforcing their property rights.[3] Most infamously, Somali women receive very little

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The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance: Varying International Standards on Juvenile Responsibility

By Rebecca Rosefelt, Staff Member Childhood is a relatively new concept,[1] and juvenile justice systems like those in Western democracies gained steam with the industrial revolution.[2] However, one issue has been of contention since at least the fifth century: at what age does society hold a person criminally liable?[3] Standards still vary across the globe,

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North Korea’s Human Rights Obligations: North Korea Sends Report to the CEDAW Committee

By Eric Ryu, MJIL Staff Member Even though the documented human rights abuses in North Korea is extensive, they are a party to four major international human rights treaties: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)[1], International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights[2], Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)[3], and Convention

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Stopping the Countdown on Crime, Punishment, and Guilt by Abolishing Statute of Limitations

Jinyoung Seok, MJIL Staff Member A South Korean couple was recently arrested for murder of the woman’s husband. The couple smuggled to China in 1996 after murdering the husband for discovering their affair, and no one knew their whereabouts until they arrived in Korea twenty years later. Not knowing that the statute of limitations for

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Colombia Diversa Secures Win for LGBTI Students in Colombia

Ami Hutchinson, MJIL Staff Member In June of 2014, 16-year-old Sergio Urrego’s mother, Alba Reyes, filed a complaint with the Secretary of Education of Cundinamarca (the administrative bureau in charge of surveying the quality of education within the territory of Cundinamarca, Colombia).  In her complaint, Alba alleged that her son had suffered persistent and severe

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Snoozing Democracy: The De-juridification of Emergencies

Antonios Kouroutakis* and Sofia Ranchordas**: Conventional wisdom says that crises are temporary. Hence in turbulent times of war and economic crisis, which require extraordinary and prompt decisions, temporary measures are necessary. It also says that, in this context, sunset clauses might be the best instruments to guarantee that such extraordinary measures do not become entrenched.

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