(May 20, 2019) On May 3, 2019, the press services of the German Bundestag (parliament) reported that the German government had submitted a draft act to amend the rules on German citizenship so that foreign fighters with dual citizenship would automatically lose their German citizenship. (Press Release, German Bundestag, Loss of German Citizenship (May 3, 2019), […]
Topic: Citizenship and nationality, Crimes against the state, National security, Terrorism
(May 16, 2019) On April 19, 2019, the Italian Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional article 47-ter, paragraph 1-ter of Law No. 354 of July 26, 1975, because it failed to provide for humanitarian home detention for convicted prisoners experiencing supervening serious mental illnesses. (Decision No. 99 of April 19, 2019, Issued in a Constitutional Legitimacy Case […]
Topic: Constitutional courts, Correctional facilities and imprisonment, Criminal code, Judiciary, Prisoners' rights
(May 8, 2019) On March 26, 2019, the Mexican government published a constitutional amendment that provides for the creation of Mexico’s National Guard. (Decreto el que se reforman, adicionan y derogan diversas disposiciones de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, en materia de Guardia Nacional [Decree Amending the Constitution in the Matter of […]
Topic: Constitutional law, Law enforcement officers, National guard and reserves
(Apr. 23, 2019) On April 11, 2019, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed 18 acts, including measures relating to corruption, modernization, bureaucracy, drug policy, and literacy policy. (Assinados 18 Atos para Modernizar e Desburocratizar o País, NOTÍCIAS, GOVERNO DO BRASIL (Apr. 12, 2019).) Five of the most significant of the acts signed by Bolsonaro are as […]
(Apr. 17, 2019) On April 10, 2019, the New Zealand Parliament passed, with a vote of 119–1, the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill, which bans most semiautomatic firearms and assault rifles along with high-capacity magazines and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms. (Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment […]
Topic: Crime and law enforcement, Hunting and fishing, Weapons
(Apr. 17, 2019) On January 14, 2019, the Parliament of Singapore passed the Payment Services Act, bringing cryptocurrency dealing or exchange services under the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the city-state’s central bank and financial regulator. (Payment Services Act 2019, No. 2 of 2019 (Jan. 14, 2019, assented to by the President […]
Topic: Banks and financial institutions, Cryptocurrency, Money laundering, Terrorism
(Apr. 15, 2019) On March 13, 2019, the Italian Constitutional Court issued a decision on the production, trafficking, and illicit possession of narcotic and psychotropic substances, declaring part of article 73(1) of Presidential Decree No. 309 of 1990 (D.P.R. No. 309) unconstitutional in that it set the minimum sentence for such crimes at eight years of […]
Topic: Constitutional law, Correctional facilities and imprisonment, Crime victims, Criminal code, Criminal procedure, Drug trafficking, Sentencing
(Apr. 3, 2019) On March 18, 2019, the plenary of the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (Conselho Federal da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil, CFOAB) enacted a decision (súmula) disqualifying law graduates who had committed aggression and violence against women from enrolling in the Bar. (Conselho Pleno Decide que Violência Contra a Mulher […]
Topic: Child abuse, Corporations and associations, Crimes against children, Crimes against women, Domestic violence, Lawyers and legal services, Licensing and registration
(Mar. 25, 2019) On March 1, 2019, the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (National Directorate on Immigration) adopted a measure requiring that foreigners who apply for permanent residence in Argentina prove they have had no criminal record during the ten years prior to their application. The new provision constitutes a seven-year increase over the previous requirement. […]
Topic: Border security, Crime and law enforcement, Crime prevention, Immigration, National security, Treaties and International Agreements
(Mar. 7, 2019) On January 17, 2019, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main (Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main, OLG Frankfurt) held that a close family circle constitutes a defamation-free zone in which members may freely speak without fear of legal consequences. (OLG Frankfurt, Jan. 13, 2019, Docket No. 16 W 54/18, ECLI:DE:OLGHE:2019:0117.16W54.18.00, Hessenrecht, Landesrechtsprechungsdatenbank website.) Facts […]
Topic: Communications, Domestic violence, Families, Internet, Social media
