Categoies
Asia
Maldives set to reintroduce death penalty
Maldives is set to reintroduce death penalty despite international criticism after a 60 year-moratorium, on the ground that severity of punishment might have an impact on the rising number of murder cases and help the law enforcement agencies in controlling drug trafficking in the country. The UN and international non-governmental organizations have urged the government […]
South Korea Supreme Court upholds LGBT Rights
The Supreme Court of South Korea has directed the government to allow an LGBT rights organisation ‘Beyond the Rainbow Foundation’ to legally register itself as a charity, ending the organisation’s three-year struggle against discriminatory rejection by government agencies on the ground that the foundation’s main purpose of promoting LGBTI rights was different from and opposed […]
Kyrgyzstan enacts new Domestic Violence Law
The Kyrgyzstan legislature has enacted a Law on the Prevention and Protection against Family Violence, which replaces the 2003 law on domestic violence. It includes measures for protecting victims, and strengthening police and judicial response to domestic violence. It has been welcomed as a progressive piece of legislation, as it takes into account reports of […]
Indonesian court convicts politician under blasphemy law
Jakarta’s Governor Ahok Tjahaja Purnama was sentenced to two years of imprisonment for violating the country’s discriminatory blasphemy law. A Christian politician, was charged with blasphemy in 2016, after he made a reference to a Quranic verse which was perceived as disrespectful. This prosecution was extensively used by militant Islamist groups to polarise the electorate […]
Taiwan legalises same-sex marriage, becomesfirst country in Asia to do so
In a landmark case filed by gay rights activist Chia-Wei Chi, Taiwan’s Court of Grand Justices has held that the provisions of the Civil Code relating to family that do not allow two persons of the same sex to marry are in violation of both the people’s freedom of marriage emanating from the right to […]
Nepal SC stays impeachment motion against country’sfirst womanChief Justice
In a welcoming move, the Supreme Court of Nepal has issued an interim order against an impeachment motion against Chief Justice Sushila Karki and directed the Legislature-Parliament to put the motion on hold, allowing the first female head of the judiciary to return to the bench. Ms Karki had been accused of being partisan, breaching the […]
Nepal Releases Draft Bill on Rights of LGBTI persons
Nepal has constituted a five-member board to identify the issues and problems of gender and sexual minorities, and make the necessary recommendations to government. The draft bill has provisions for legally changing gender identity, same-sex marriage, adoption and enumeration in national census. It ensures the right to participate in political affairs, right to access, right to […]
Hindu Marriage Act, 2017 enacted by Pakistan
A bill to regulate marriages of minority Hindu population has become a law in Pakistan after getting approval from the President and being unanimously passed by the National Assembly. The landmark law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. It provides for procedures […]
Nepal convicts army personnel for rape
In a first of its kind conviction, a District Court in Nepal convicted three army officers of rape and murder of a 15 year old girl. This is the first time that a civilian court in Nepal has convicted army personnel for crimes committed during the 1996-2006 conflict. This judgment has come after persistent advocacy […]
Russia relaxes laws on domestic violence in favour of perpetrators
In February, the Russian Parliament passed law reducing criminal liability for ‘moderate’ domestic violence towards women and children. As per the new law, exceptions have been provided to offences of family violence for incidents that do not include broken bones or require hospitalization, as long as they are not repeated within a year. The penalties […]