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Laws - Processes

Lebanon's Sect Addiction

[Lebanon's former electoral districts. Photo courtesy of MESH.]

Lebanese MPs outraged secularists and campaigners opposed to sectarian politics this past week by provisionally approving a voting law that would make it so citizens could only vote for candidates of their own sect. The so-called Orthodox Gathering draft law still needs to pass a parliamentary vote—but activists and youth groups have already decried it as a step back from representative democracy and a lurch towards confessional – some claimed racist – politics. The bill was championed by Michel Aoun, the leader of the Maronite Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) that contributes seven ministers to Lebanon’s current cabinet, alongside the Shiite Hezbollah, ...

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Egypt’s Anti-Freedom Constitution: The Borhami Video

[Salafist cleric leader Yasser Borhami (right) speaks with Morsi's presidential advisor Bassam al-Zarqa during the constitutional marathon vote in the assembly on 30 November. Image by Mohamed Abd El Gany/Reuters]

“This constitution imposes complete restrictions that have never before been imposed by any Egyptian constitution” and it “places restrictions on freedom of thought, expression, and creativity.” These are the words of Sheikh Yasser Borhami, a leading member of the Constituent Assembly. He was explaining Article 10 of Egypt’s draft constitution during a conference with religious experts and Salafist preachers on 22 November 2012. On this same day, President Mohamed Morsi granted himself sweeping powers, including the power to shield the constituent assembly from judicial oversight. For anyone who continues to believe that this constitution is a document that represents ...

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ICC Rejects Palestine Bid

[Logo of the International Criminal Court. Image from Wikimedia Commons.]

[The following is a ruling from the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court] Situation in Palestine 1. On 22 January 2009, pursuant to article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, Ali Khashan acting as Minister of Justice of the Government of Palestine lodged a declaration accepting the exercise of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court for "acts committed on the territory of Palestine since 1 July 2002." [1]  2. In accordance with article 15 of the Rome Statute, the Office of the Prosecutor initiated a preliminary examination in order to determine whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an ...

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Saving Khader Adnan's Life Saves Our Own Soul

[Image of protest for Khader Adnan. Image from enduringamerica.com]

The world watches as tragedy unfolds beneath its gaze as Khader Asnan enters his sixty-third day as a hunger striker in an Israeli prison being held under an administrative detention order without trial, without charges, and without any indication of the evidence against him. From the outset of his brutal arrest by scores of soldiers, featuring blindfolding, cuffing, and physical roughness in the middle of the night, a gratuitous ritual enacted in the presence of his wife and young daughters, Khader Adnan has been subject to the sort of inhumane and degrading treatment that is totally unlawful and inexcusable, and an assault on our moral justification. At present, ...

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Legal Agenda on Jadaliyya!

[Legal Agenda logo. Image from legal-agenda.com]

The Legal Agenda is a critical and multidisciplinary non-governmental organization, based in Lebanon, that monitors and analyzes law and public policy in Lebanon, specifically, and the Arab region, generally. The Legal Agenda publishes a quarterly magazine, organizes regional conferences, commissions studies, and hosts panel and open discussions. In doing so, the organization provides a forum for citizens, experts, and researchers to analyze, critique, and debate local and regional legal developments with an emphasis on public accountability. The Legal Agenda explores the law’s influence on and capacity to empower, marginalized groups, including refugees, prisoners, ...

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About the People's Assembly Law

[Image from unknown archive.]

[Egypt’s first parliamentary elections following the January 25 Revolution will be governed by three major laws. The “People’s Assembly Law” and the “Shura Council Law” regulate the selection and performance of the two houses of parliament, whereas the “Law on the Exercise of Political Rights” regulates the manner in which citizens can vote and run for office.] The People’s Assembly, Egypt’s lower house of parliament, is governed in accordance with “law 28 for 1972,” commonly known as “The People’s Assembly law.” This law was first introduced right after late president Anwar Al-Sadat changed the parliament’s name from the National Assembly to the People’s Assembly and ...

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About the Law on the Exercise of Political Rights

[Image from aswatmasriya.com]

[Egypt’s first parliamentary elections following the January 25 Revolution will be governed by three major laws. The “People’s Assembly Law” and the “Shura Council Law” regulate the selection and performance of the two houses of parliament, whereas the “Law on the Exercise of Political Rights” regulates the manner in which citizens can vote and run for office.] A law regulating the exercise of political rights in Egypt was passed in 1956, ahead of Egypt's first parliamentary elections that followed the 1952 revolution. The Law on the Exercise of Political Rights (no.73/1956) sets rules for the eligibility of candidates and voters and ...

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A Voter's Checklist for the Egyptian Elections

[Diagram for 2011 Parliamentary Election. Image from oreed.org]

A Voter’s Checklist for the Egyptian Elections What you need choose? As a voter you are expected to choose: Two individual candidates to represent you One list that you feel represents you Who can I choose from the individual candidates? You may choose any individual candidates in any combination: One professional, one worker/farmer Two professionals Two workers/farmers What’s in a list? A list contains prioritized candidates that represent you. Each list has candidates from more than one party. The most likely candidate to win out of the list is the one at the top of the ...

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What Does Morsi Not Understand About Police Reform?

In mid-1861, Saeed Pasha, the ruler of Egypt, issued a Sovereign Decree to all police chiefs replacing the penalty of beating with imprisonment. Accordingly, regulations were issued stating that since  penalties in the form of beatings of some criminals are intended to once and for all discipline those who commit crimes and sins, and serve as a deterrence to others, while keeping in mind effect without harm, we have decided to replace the penalty of beating with the penalty of ...

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عندما يصبح تسييس القضاء ضمانة لاستقلاله: أفكار حول التجربة المصرية 1967-2012

أين اختفى قضاة "التيار الاستقلالي" في مصر اليوم؟ سؤال محير يراود أذهان أكثر من متابع للشأن القضائي المصري في الوقت الحاضر. فالمفارقة الغريبة هي أن القضاة الذين صنعوا الحدث القضائي والسياسي عامي 2005 و2006 عندما تحدوا من خلال نادي قضاة مصر نظام حسني مبارك في أوج سلطته باتوا اليوم، بعد سقوط هذا النظام، شبه غائبين عن الساحة القضائية.١ القضاة الأفراد ما زالوا هنا طبعاً، على الأقل سياسيا: فالمستشار حسام الغرياني ترأس مجلس القضاء الأعلى وهو اليوم يترأس اللجنة المكلفة إعداد الدستور والمستشار ...

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Singular Legal Regime Necessitates One-State Solution

This weekend, the Harvard University community will host its conference, "One-State Conference: Israel/Palestine and the One-State Solution". The conference promises to be an invigorating discussion on the likelihood of the two-state solution, the benefits of the one-state solution, and the challenges to achieving either. In light of that discussion, I thought it useful to share the legal dimensions that demonstrate Israel’s discriminatory system both within its putative borders and the ...

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الأبعاد المسكوت عنها في الأزمة بين القضاة والمحامين في مصر

كانت مناقشة مشروع تعديل قانون السلطة القضائية مناسبة لحلقة جديدة من مسلسل الصراع القديم المتجدد بين جناحي العدالة. البداية جاءت تزامنا مع اجواء ثورة 25 يناير 2011 والرغبة في تدعيم دولة القانون حيث شكل رئيس مجلس القضاء الأعلى لجنة لإعداد مشروع قانون السلطة القضائية. وبعدما انتهت اللجنة من أعمالها عرض المشروع على كل المعنيين والمهتمين بالشان القضائي. وقد قوبل هذا المشروع بترحيب على المستوى الشعبي إلا انه قوبل باعتراض شديد من جانب المحامين بدأ بتصريحات غاضبة وانتهى بغلق للمحاكم.  من النقاط التي أثارت ...

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مقابلة: تحديات العمل من أجل حقوق العمال الاجانب في الاردن

تعرض السيدة ليندا الكلش في الفيديو التالي، والذي قام بتصويره وسام الصليبي، الإنتهاكات التي يتعرض لها العمال الأجانب في الأردن والدور الذي يلعبه مركز „ تمكين“ لمساعدتهم . تدير السيدة ليندا الكلش مركز „تمكين“ للمساعدة القانونية وحقوق الإنسان في الأردن وقد حصلت على جائزة „الجمهورية الفرنسية لحقوق الإنسان“ والتي منحها إياها عام  2011 الآن جوبيه، وزيرالخارجية الفرنسي بمناسبة اليوم العالمي لحقوق الإنسان والذي يصادف في 10 يناير/ كانون الثاني. وقُدمت الجائزة للمركز تقديراً وتشجيعاً وإشادة بمجهوداته ...

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About the Shura Council Law

[Egypt’s first parliamentary elections following the January 25 Revolution will be governed by three major laws. The “People’s Assembly Law” and the “Shura Council Law” regulate the selection and performance of the two houses of parliament, whereas the “Law on the Exercise of Political Rights” regulates the manner in which citizens can vote and run for office.] The late President Anwar al-Sadat created the upper house of parliament, known as the Shura Council, in 1980. Law ...

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How Are Seat Winners Determined in the Egyptian Elections ?

The new system in Egypt’s 2011 elections may seem overwhelming to those trying to figure out how the winners will be calculated. The introduction of the list system and calculations using the ‘highest remainder’ method has been a cause for confusion. Also, in the individual system, voters can now vote for any two candidates as opposed to one professional and one worker/farmer. How individual winners are determined per district Each district will have two seats to be awarded to two candidates. At least ...

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The Concise Idiot's Guide to the Egyptian Elections

[This entry was updated to account for Egyptian authorities’ decision dated 25 November to keep polling stations open for two consecutive days in each voting stage during the parliamentary lower house elections.] Egypt population: (est.) 85 million Citizens eligible to vote: (approx.) 50 million Parliamentary composition: bicameral The People’s Assembly: the lower house The Shura Council: upper consultative house   People’s Assembly elections: Conducted over three stages, each ...

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