[9 Sep 2010 | Comments Off | 2,010 views]
Indonesian Legal System Dysfunction Renders Death Penalty Unsafe

OpenTrial reveals why Indonesia’s court system is not credible and the danger this poses, particularly when death sentences are meted out for drug-related crimes.

And click here (on the full article) to view Fauziah Ibrahim’s, of Al Jazeera English, look at the Indonesia’s Justice System. She finds it is riddled with corruption and incompetent investigative procedures and that trials and sentences are often deemed unfair. Wealthy or politically influential suspects are often able to buy themselves out of a trial, while poorer suspects face abuse in prison.

Two Nigerians, Samuel Iwachekwu Okoye …

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Featured, Rule of Law »

[6 Jul 2011 | Comments Off | 938 views]
Strictly no (more) white elephants

If the law is aloof, opaque and shrouded in mystique, the rule of law cannot spread and strengthen. Today’s rule-of-law industry is indicative of this, inhibiting real partnerships between the law and societies from developing. But, while John Maynard Keynes’ dictum – “The difficulty lies not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones” – continues to be more pertinent to the fusty, stuffy, fuddy-duddy law than almost any other field, progress towards the rule of law may well continue at its current glacial pace.
The rule-of-law industry’s …

Country Focus »

[11 Nov 2011 | Comments Off | 1,612 views]
Interpol Boss, Ronald Noble, Sees Red Over Red Notices

While concerns grow that Red Notices are not only being issued in violation of human rights, but also that corrupt police forces extend their reach with them, Interpol Chief, Ronald Noble, is angrily dismissive when probed.

Featured, Rule of Law »

[29 Feb 2012 | Comments Off | 460 views]
Legal Limbo in No Man’s Land

The world is becoming an ever smaller place. Vast numbers of people now move about our planet in pursuit of work, trade, investment and leisure. The problem is, legal jurisdictions do not reflect this, leaving many victims in an unjust limbo that is treated with insouciance by those who might otherwise champion human rights.
This is best illustrated by the sad case of Barry Grossman, an Australian who established and ran a dimensional stone business in Bali, Indonesia.
Unfortunately for him two Australian businessmen, who had given the impression they wished to …

Country Focus, Featured, Rule of Law »

[6 Mar 2012 | Comments Off | 143 views]
Rule of Law For Stable Enterprise

Is the rule of law a precondition for economic growth everywhere? Emphatically not!
Daniel Kaufmann, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, who led work on governance and anti-corruption, says that rule-of-law improvements do tend to help growth and that few countries sustain gains in growth without improving their rule of law.
Indeed, there is a correlation between the rule of law and gross domestic product. Rich countries, with some exceptions, score high on rule-of-law measures, whereas most poor countries do not.
Accordingly, the European Union requires its members satisfy rule of law criteria. …

OpenTrial »

[27 Apr 2012 | Comments Off | 15 views]
Fair Trial Checklist

This fair trial checklist is intended for trial monitors, judges, prosecutors, consular staff and defendants and victims of crime and their lawyers. It is based on fair trial criteria that are quintessential to ensuring a fair trial is conducted.