(Nov. 13, 2019) The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs has responded to a wave of public protests over an alleged honor killing case by stating it will introduce a new family protection law before the end of 2019. The new law would amend the penal code to establish a minimum age for marriage, review […]
Topic: Assault and battery, Crime and law enforcement, Crime victims, Crimes against women, Domestic violence, Homicide, Sentencing, Women's rights
(Nov. 12, 2019) During debates over the last several months in the Colombian Congress regarding a proposed constitutional reform to apply life imprisonment to perpetrators of violent and sexual crimes against children, representative Jaime Rodriguez submitted an additional and highly controversial proposal to impose the death penalty for those who commit such crimes. Article 11 of the Colombian […]
Topic: Assault and battery, Capital punishment, Constitutional courts, Constitutional law, Crime and law enforcement, Crime prevention, Crime victims, Crimes against children, Domestic violence, Homicide, Legislative bodies, Legislators, Sentencing, Sex offenses, Treaties and International Agreements
(Nov. 4, 2019) On April 9, 2019, Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers issued Resolution No. 444 of 4 Shaban 1440 (corresponding to April 9, 2019), regulating public behavior and public decency. The Resolution, which consists of 10 articles, regulates the behavior of Saudi citizens and expats in public places in accordance with prevalent Saudi customs, […]
Topic: Harassment, Hate crimes, Maintenance of public order
(Oct. 25, 2019) On May 7, 2019, the Parliament of Singapore passed an amendment to the city-state’s harassment law, the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA). The Protection from Harassment (Amendment) Act 2019 (Amendment Act) adds to POHA the new offense of “doxxing,” which involves the publication of “identity information” in order to harass, threaten, or […]
Topic: Freedom of speech, Harassment, Internet, News media and reporting, Social media
(Oct. 24, 2019) On October 9, 2019, the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Malaysia’s Parliament, voted to pass the Anti-Fake News (Repeal) Bill 2019 (D.R. 26/2019), which will repeal the Anti-Fake News Act 2018. It was the second time that such a bill had been passed, with the Dewan Rakyat also voting to repeal the Act […]
Topic: Communications, Crime and law enforcement, Freedom of speech, Freedom of the press, Human rights and civil liberties, Internet, News media and reporting, Social media
(Oct. 17, 2019) On October 7, 2019, the Justice Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT, Turkey’s parliament) accepted a draft bill constituting a “judicial reform package” that was submitted to the GNAT by Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (the AKP) on September 30, 2019. A press statement released by the AKP stated […]
Topic: Administrative courts, Criminal procedure, Judicial review and appeals, Trials and court proceedings
(Oct. 16, 2019) On September 22, 2019, Decree Law No. 105 of September 21, 2019 (Decreto-Legge 21 settembre 2019, n. 105) (D.L. No. 105), containing urgent provisions on national cybersecurity, entered into force in Italy. The purpose of the new legislation is to guarantee the highest level of security for networks, information systems, and information […]
(Oct. 15, 2019) On September 5, 2019, Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, promulgated Law No. 13,869 (Lei No. 13.869, de 5 de Setembro de 2019), which provides for crimes of abuse of authority and amends and revokes other laws. President Bolsonaro had initially issued 19 vetoes that encompassed 36 provisions of the Law, and the National Congress […]
Topic: Crime and law enforcement, Crime prevention, Criminal code, Criminal procedure, Government
(Oct. 9, 2019) On September 26, 2019, the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament passed the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019. The Bill, which will become the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019 (NSW), amends the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) in order to decriminalize abortion, and sets out new provisions to regulate the conduct of practitioners with respect […]
Topic: Abortion, Crime and law enforcement, Health
(Oct. 8, 2019) On February 15, 2019, the Moroccan Minister of Administration and Public Service announced the introduction of a new draft law to protect whistle-blowers. The draft law is intended to fulfill Morocco’s commitment as a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption to enact relevant domestic laws, in this case by protecting […]
Topic: Bribery, Corruption, Criminal code, Money laundering, United Nations Convention Against Corruption, 2003
