Civil Rights

EXCLUSIVE Deputy Premier Troy Grant has come under an extraordinary attack from the peak NSW barristers’ association over “draconian” proposed powers it warns are “an unprecedented attack on individual freedoms and the rule of law”. The NSW Bar Association has taken aim at Mr Grant’s bill to introduce “crime prevention… Source: Deputy Premier Troy Grant under fire over ‘unprecedented’ crime prevention powers Read More »

Whatever might be said about its successes and failures, it’s clear that 25 years after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody tabled its final report, Australia has become much less compassionate, more punitive and more ready to blame individuals for their alleged… Source: How ‘tough on crime’ politics flouts death-in-custody recommendations Read More »

A judge has ruled against a gay couple in China’s first same-sex marriage case. The court in the city of Changsha on Wednesday threw out the suit against the local civil affairs bureau that refused to issue the couple a marriage registration certificate. The couple’s lawyer Shi Funong said he did not expect the ruling so soon – within just a few hours. The plaintiff Sun Wenlin said he would appeal until he exhausts all legal options… Source: Judge rules ... Read More »

PRESSURE is mounting on the Tasmanian Government to legalise the medicinal use of cannabis in the wake of Victoria’s historic decision to become the first state in Australia to do so. The Victorian Government passed the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2015 yesterday, giving patients legal access to the drug in exceptional circumstances… Source: Tasmanian Labor, Greens push for legal access to medicinal cannabis | The Mercury Read More »

Victoria has become the first state to make medicinal cannabis available to people in exceptional circumstances, with the passing of historic legislation in parliament. Children with severe epilepsy will be given first access to medicinal cannabis from early 2017, following the passing of the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2015 on Tuesday, a state government statement… Source: Victoria makes medicinal cannabis legal in historic move | SBS News Read More »

Something is broken in our firearm laws when people are allowed to build up their own private arsenals. By David Shoebridge * How many guns is too many guns? It’s not just an academic question. In NSW, the extent of gun ownership tells us something about how the gun… Source: Comment: How many guns is too many guns? | SBS News Read More »

Tensions around coal-fired power are reaching breaking point in Bangladesh, after four protestors were shot dead by the police on April 4, and a witch-hunt for more than 3,000 unnamed others began. Villagers in the coastal area of Banskhali, near Chittagong, admit to burning a vehicle well before the April 4 shootings, but deny theyMore… Source: Bangladesh Anti-Coal Tensions Rising, After Police Shoot Four Dead – New Matilda Read More »

Former prime minister says he has discussed end-of-life options with his wife, Blanche D’Alpuget. Bob Hawke has put his political influence behind the campaign to introduce assisted dying laws in Australia, saying it is “absurd that euthanasia is not legal in this country”… Source: Bob Hawke calls for euthanasia to be made legal in Australia | Australia news | The Guardian Read More »

It all started with a joke. Last week, German comedian Jan Böhmermann aired a segment on his show in which he read an openly offensive poem, directed at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which he accused him of bestiality and other unsavory things… Source: How a vulgar poem is giving Germany’s Merkel a real headache – The Washington Post Read More »

Political repression is reaching new highs in Bangladesh. The government’s abuse of rule of law institutions for political ends has created an atmosphere of injustice that is increasingly exploited by anti-state extremist groups. The gruesome recent killing of a secular blogger is just another tragic result of these groups’ growing power and impunity… Source: Political Conflict, Extremism and Criminal Justice in Bangladesh – International Crisis Group Read More »

For centuries, Christians in Turkey, though a minority in the predominantly Muslim country, have maintained and protected their sacred places of worship. These ancient churches are even older than Islam. Now, Christians in Turkey are fearful that they… Source: Christians fear losing ancient churches in Turkey after government takeover | Christian News on Christian Today Read More »

It’s designed to enshrine rights many Queenslanders take for granted in law, but the proposal for a Human Rights Act has met with a mixed response. The parliamentary committee charged with examining a bill of rights for Queensland – whether there is a need for one, and if so, what it… Source: Support for Queensland bill of rights not universal Read More »

For more than a week, vast nocturnal gatherings have spread across France in a citizen-led movement that has rattled the government.. As night fell over Paris, thousands of people sat cross-legged in the vast square at Place de la République, taking turns to pass round a microphone… Source: Nuit debout protesters occupy French cities in revolutionary call for change | World news | The Guardian Read More »

LONDON – England – The EU Frontex border report shows serious flaws in European security that are a major danger to Britain.. Fostering the free movement of people has been an important objective of European integration since the 1950s. Free movement of goods, persons, services and capital… Source: EU Frontex Report Shows Major Flaws in European Security – Daily Squib Read More »

The murder is the latest incident of aggression against secular bloggers and activists in the Muslim-majority country. A law student who posted pro-atheism comments on social media has been murdered, Bangladeshi police said, in the latest incident in a series of killings of secular activists and bloggers in the country… Source: Bangladesh activist Nazimuddin Samad hacked to death – AJE News Read More »

The big regret when one of the country’s longest-running and most hard-fought Aboriginal land claims moved close to settlement on Wednesday was that so many of the land owners had not lived to witness history being made. Almost four decades after lodging a claim for a huge tract of land on the Cox Peninsula, west of Darwin, surviving traditional owners joined with politicians to announce the terms for settlement… Source: Historic land rights settlement ‘too late’ for many traditional owners Read More »