Australian Journalist Imprisoned in Cambodia Seeks Royal Pardon
A three-judge panel of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Australian journalist and documentary film-maker James Ricketson guilty of espionage on 31 August. And to the disbelief of those gathered there to support the 69-year-old, the court sentenced him to six...
Democracy Is in Tatters Across the Globe
Democracy suffered “its most crucial crisis in decades” last year, according to a leading annual report on global freedom. And this continued a twelve year trend, which has seen a gradual decline in fair elections, minority rights, press freedoms and...
US Inmates Hold Mass Strikes Against Unfair Exploitation
Prison inmates across the United States are holding a two-week strike against unfair labour exploitation, overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. Participants are also calling for the appropriate classification of inmates, highlighting that many non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offences, have...
Canada Accepts First Australian Refugee
In what’s believed to be a world first, an Australian citizen has been given asylum in a foreign country. As revealed by the ABC last week, Canadian authorities granted refugee status to a former Australian police informant who infiltrated an outlaw...
Danish Women Defy Burqa Ban
A 28-year-old woman has become the first person in Denmark to be fined for wearing a face veil in a public place. The woman was approached by another in a shopping centre who assaulted her and ripped off her face...
Israel “Constitutionally” Enshrines Its Apartheid System
On 19 July, the Knesset – the Israeli parliament – passed the Nation-State Law, which officially relegates Palestinians in Israel to the rank of second-class citizens. This has effectively enshrined Israel’s decades-old system of apartheid in the nation’s Basic Laws: its...
Canada Set to Legalise Recreational Cannabis
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that recreational cannabis will become legal throughout the country on October 17. Both houses of parliament have voted to repeal drug charges for small possession and limited cultivation, making Canada the first G7...
Crimes Against Humanity: An Interview with Human Rights Lawyer Julian Burnside
The Norwegian freighter MV Tampa entered Australian waters on 29 August 2001, carrying 433 asylum seekers who’d been stranded on a fishing boat in the Indian Ocean. The vessel crossed the maritime boundary close to Christmas Island, despite having been refused...
Diminishing Rights: An Interview With the Muslim Legal Network’s Zaahir Edries
US District Judge Denise Casper recently found that the US Department of Homeland Security’s policy of searching electronic devices at the international border without a warrant could be in breach of the fourth amendment. The Massachusetts federal judge ruled in March...
Aussie Takes on Google, and Wins
The High Court of Australia has ruled that a Melbourne man has legal standing to commence proceedings against United States-based internet juggernaut Google for allegedly defamatory material posted on the company’s search engine. The story so far Milorad ‘Michael’ Trkulja...
