Rule of Law
Websites/Multiple Documents
| Title: | | Rule of law (Wikipedia) |
| Description/subject: | | "The rule of law is a legal maxim whereby governmental decisions are made by applying known legal principles. Such a government can be called a nomocracy, from the Greek nomos (law) and kratos (power or rule). The phrase can be traced back to 17th century and was popularized in the 19th century by British jurist A. V. Dicey. The concept was familiar to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, who wrote "Law should govern". Rule of law implies that every citizen is subject to the law. It stands in contrast to the idea that the ruler is above the law, for example by divine right.
Despite wide use by politicians, judges and academics, the rule of law has been described as "an exceedingly elusive notion" giving rise to a "rampant divergence of understandings ... everyone is for it but have contrasting convictions about what it is."
At least two principal conceptions of the rule of law can be identified: a formalist or "thin" and a substantive or "thick" definition of the rule of law. Formalist definitions of the rule of law do not make a judgment about the "justness" of law itself, but define specific procedural attributes that a legal framework must have in order to be in compliance with the rule of law. Substantive conceptions of the rule of law go beyond this and include certain substantive rights that are said to be based on, or derived from, the rule of law..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Wikipedia |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 21 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | World Justice Project (WJP) |
| Description/subject: | | Working Definition of the Rule of Law:
The WJP uses a working definition of the rule of law based on four universal principles:
The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law...
The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property...
The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, efficient, and fair...
Justice is delivered by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | World Justice Project (WJP) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 20 July 2012 |
|
Individual Documents
| Title: | | BURMA: Criminalization of rights defenders and impunity for police |
| Date of publication: | | 29 April 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns in the strongest terms the announcement of the commander of the Sagaing Region Police Force, Myanmar, that the police will arrest and charge eight human rights defenders whom it blames for inciting protests against the army-backed copper mine project at the Letpadaung Hills, in Monywa. The commission also condemns the latest round of needless police violence against demonstrators there. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) |
| Format/size: | | html (45K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 April 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar Rule of Law Assessment |
| Date of publication: | | March 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | Executive Summary:-
Background:
• In June 2012, Perseus Strategies and New Perimeter,
in partnership with the Jacob Blaustein Institute for
the Advancement of Human Rights, initiated a broad
rule of law assessment of Myanmar
• Upon completion of this assessment, New Perimeter
and Perseus Strategies will launch a program
where potentially thousands of pro bono hours from
the global law firm DLA Piper will be invested into
a focused project to advance law reform efforts
in Myanmar...
Current situation:
• On November 7, 2010, Myanmar held its first
election in 20 years – much of the reaction to
the reforms instituted by President Thein Sein,
inaugurated in March 2011, reflects the hope that
the country can break free of its authoritarian past
that involves widespread human-rights abuses
• Following by-elections in April 2012, Aung
San Suu Kyi has joined the government as
an elected MP, along with several dozen
representatives of the National League for
Democracy and ethnic political parties
• Major reform efforts have been initiated by the
government across an array of areas, which has
reinforced these hopes, but there remains a large
gap between public perception and the reality of
the impact of reform efforts on the ground
• There is a strong consensus across the political
spectrum that advancing the rule of law and law
reform efforts are a top priority, but the government,
opposition, and other parties have different views
as to the sequencing of specific efforts...
Key findings:
• President Thein Sein and his allies in the
government are making genuine reforms;
however, many government institutions
are quite fragile and the role of the military
remains opaque
• For these changes to be permanent and
irreversible, constitutional reform is important,
but it is unclear if the government will undertake
such efforts in the near term
• Law reform is being implemented from the
top‑down, but these efforts must be driven into
government bureaucracies and down to the
local level, and coupled with major grassroots
efforts to educate people about their rights
• The judicial system is in need of large‑scale
reform – corruption is a serious issue and
decisions are sometimes made by the
executive branch
• The parliament will be a significant player in law
reform efforts, but requires major investment to build
its capacity so its contributions can be meaningful
• Myanmar requires unprecedented effort to create
a criminal defense and legal aid system,
reconstitute the Bar Association, and rebuild
the legal education system
• The Myanmar National Human Rights
Commission has potential, but should be
reconstituted by the parliament as an independent
government agency, in accordance with the
Paris Principles
• The government has signed several new treaties,
but reform efforts could also be advanced
through the signing and ratification of the
Int’l Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
Int’l Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR), and Convention Against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading
Treatment (CAT), which the government has
indicated its intention to do. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | DLA-Piper (New Perimeter), Perseus Strategies, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights |
| Format/size: | | pdf (1.3MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 14 March 2013 |
|
| Title: | | The Rule of Law in Myanmar: Challenges and Prospects |
| Date of publication: | | 20 December 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Report of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) Supported by the IBAHRI Trust and the Open Society Foundations.....Contents:
Executive Summary...
1. Introduction:
1.1 The IBAHRI delegation and its mandate;
1.2 Interviews and consultations;
1.3 The rule of law: an overview...
2. Background and History:
2.1 Myanmar in facts and figures;
2.2 Myanmar before 1988;
2.3 Myanmar in the two decades after the 1988 coup;
2.4 The 2008 Constitution;
2.5 Myanmar since 2008...
3. The Civil Sphere: Social, Economic, Cultural,
Civil and Political Rights:
3.1 Background;
3.2 Current legal structure;
3.3 Findings;
Access to courts and the administration of justice;
Freedom of expression, association and assembly;
Ethnic conflicts;
3.4 Conclusion ...
4. The Political Sphere: the Branches of Government:
4.1 Background;
4.2 Current legal structure;
4.3 Findings;
4.4 Conclusion...
5. The Legislative Sphere: Parliament and the
Reform Process:
5.1 Background;
5.2 The structure of the legislature;
5.3 Findings;
The Bill Committee of the Lower House;
The Complaints Committee of the Upper House;
Other perspectives;
5.4 Conclusion...
6. The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission:
6.1 Background;
6.2 Current legal structure;
6.3 Findings;
6.4 Conclusion...
7. The Military Sphere: the Role of the Army:
7.1 Background;
7.2 Current legal structure;
7.3 Findings;
7.4 Conclusion...
8. The Judicial Sphere (I): Courts and Judges:
8.1 Background;
8.2 Current legal structure;
8.3 Findings;
8.4 Conclusion...
9. The Judicial Sphere (II): the Legal Profession:
9.1 Background;
9.2 Current legal structure;
9.3 Findings;
Former and current lawyers;
The Attorney General and Justice Soe Nyunt;
9.4 Conclusion...
10. Conclusions and Recommendations...
Annexes:
A. General Assembly Resolution 66/102 on the Rule of Law at the
National and International Levels...
B. The Peaceful Demonstration and Gathering Act 2012...
C. Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions
(The Paris Principles)...
D. UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary ...
E. UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers...
F. IBA Standards for the Independence of the Legal Profession...
G. UN Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors...
H. International Association of Prosecutors’ Standards of
Professional Responsibility and Statement of the Essential
Duties and Rights of Prosecutors...
I. The Venice Commission Report’s Checklist for Evaluating the
Rule of Law in Single States...
List of Acronyms |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (409K), html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.ibanet.org/Document/Default.aspx?DocumentUid=DE0EE11D-9878-4685-A20F-9A0AAF6C3F3E
http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=DEBA1058-8D8D-47E3-B8DB-1BA2BA82E40E
http://www.ibanet.org/Human_Rights_Institute/About_the_HRI/HRI_Activities/Buma.aspx
http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=65664916-85C3-4B91-9FB1-FF4485EB4F40
http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=FBDF2D5E-1631-48FC-A307-E4C13EBB71A1 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 20 December 2012 |
|
| Title: | | BURMA: Continued use of military-issued instructions denies rights |
| Date of publication: | | 05 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Much has been made in recent times of the continued use in Burma of antiquated and anti-human rights laws from the country's decades of military rule, as well as from the colonial era. While legislators discuss the amendment or revocation of some laws, and the issue is debated in the public domain, much less is said of the superstructure of military-introduced administrative orders that officials around the country continue to employ in their day-to-day activities, invariably in order to circumscribe or deny human rights.
Among these orders are some being used to restrict or prevent access to land of people who rightfully occupy or cultivate the land, as in the case of villagers from some 26 villages affected by the copper mining project in the Letpadaung Mountain range in Sagaing Region, on which the Asian Human Rights Commission has previously spoken (AHRC-PRL-044-2012). The AHRC has obtained copies of a series of orders issued by Zaw Moe Aung, chief administrator of Sarlingyi Township, where villagers have been fighting since mid-2012 against the expansion of copper mining in the region onto their farmlands. The orders, issued under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, prohibit villagers from access to their farmlands or any form of use of the farmlands, such as for the grazing of cattle. The latest orders expired at the end of October; however, people in the region expect that they will be renewed, or that in any event they will simply be denied access to their land, which is being taken over by an army-owned company and its partner..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 05 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | LSE discussion roundtable on "Rule of Law" with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Full Video) |
| Date of publication: | | 19 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Burmese democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi told an LSE audience that fairness and freedom can only be restored to her country under the rule of law.
Speaking on her first visit to the UK for 24 years, the Nobel Peace Prize winner said that unity in Burma and a new constitution could only be achieved within a legal framework. “This is what we all need - unless we see that justice is to be done, we cannot proceed to genuine democracy”, she told an audience of students, staff and visitors.
She said that she condemned violence wherever it occurred, but that a full understanding of its causes was key: “Resolving conflict is not about condemnation, it’s about finding the roots, the causes of that conflict and how they can be resolved in the best way possible.”
The leader of the National League of Democracy in Burma, who has spent much of her life under house arrest on the orders of the country’s military rulers, was speaking as part of a round-table discussion at LSE featuring academic and legal experts.
LSE Director Judith Rees reminded listeners that the event was taking place on Aung San Suu Kyi’s 67th birthday and that everyone wanted to celebrate that she was able to enjoy the day in freedom.
Professor Rees said: “Your trip to the UK will go down in history and I’m sure that it’s an emotional trip for you.”
She also invited the crowd to sing Happy Birthday, adding: “It’s a tribute not just to you but to all those who have campaigned for freedom in Burma.”
Alex Peters-Day, General Secretary of LSE’s Students’ Union, presented the guest with a surprise present - a photograph of her late father taken in London in 1947 - and with an LSE baseball cap, a traditional gift for visiting leaders.
The panel discussion also involved LSE professors Mary Kaldor and Christine Chinkin, Burmese activist and visiting fellow Dr Maung Zarni, Oxford professor Nicola Lacey and barrister Sir Geoffrey Nice QC.
Professor Kaldor ended the event by passing on a question from a student who’d asked Aung San Suu Kyi how she had found her strength to continue her campaigning. She answered: “It’s all of you, and people like you, who give me the strength to continue. And I suppose I have a stubborn streak in me.” "..."...
Speaker(s): Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Professor Christine Chinkin, Professor Nicola Lacey, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, Dr Maung Zarni
Recorded on 19 June 2012 in Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Member of Parliament of Kawhmu constituency in Burma. She was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1991.
Christine Chinkin, FBA, is currently Professor in International Law at the London School of Economics. She has widely published on issues of international human rights law, law, including as co-author of The Boundaries of International Law: A Feminist Analysis.
Nicola Lacey holds a Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls College, and is Professor of Criminal Law and Legal Theory at the University of Oxford, having previously held a chair at the London School of Economics. Nicola’s research is in criminal law and criminal justice, with a particular focus on comparative and historical scholarship. In 2011 she won the Hans Sigrist Prize for scholarship on the rule of law in modern societies.
Sir Geoffrey Nice QC is a barrister; he is a signatory of Harvard’s Crimes in Burma report. Sir Geoffrey is a member of Burma Justice Committee and works with NGO's and other groups seeking international recognition of crimes committed in conflicts; represents government and similar interests at the ICC.
A Burmese native, Dr Zarni is a veteran founder of the Free Burma Coalition, one of the Internet's first and largest human rights campaigns and a Visiting Fellow at the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit, LSE. His forthcoming book, provisionally titled Life under the Boot: 50-years of Military Dictatorship in Burma, will be published by Yale University Press.
Mary Kaldor is professor of Global Governance in the Department of International Development and Director of the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit at LSE. She writes on globalisation, international relations and humanitarian intervention, global civil society and global governance, as well as what she calls New Wars. " |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) via Youtube |
| Format/size: | | Adobe Flash (1 hour, 2 minutes) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 20 June 2012 |
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| Title: | | The ‘Rule of Law’ in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | 01 February 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Over the past several months, Burma’s pro-democracy icon and opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi has constantly repeated the refrain that the government must establish the “rule of
law.”
That’s a worthwhile goal, as well as a necessary achievement if Burma is going to raise the
quality of life and standard of living for its 54 million long-oppressed and impoverished
people.
In the words of William H. Neukom, the president of the World Justice Project (WJP), “The
rule of law is the foundation for communities of opportunity and equity—it is the predicate for
the eradication of poverty, violence, corruption, pandemics and other threats to civil society.”
But what does the “rule of law” mean?..." |
| Author/creator: | | Stephen Bloom |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" |
| Format/size: | | pdf (94K), html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22960 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 21 July 2012 |
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