2014.07 國際法相關時事彙整
本期編輯名單:
陳伶嘉、張倍銓
國際人權法
2014.07.07
UK ‘sleepwalking into violating disabled people’s human rights’
The UK government is risking “systematic violation” of international human rights law in its treatment of disabled people, charities claim.
2014.07.11
This surveillance bill puts our hard-won freedom in peril
All the data retention and investigatory powers bill will do is put a leash on the human spirit and deaden the hearts of those who desire to live in a free and liberal nation.
2014.07.18
Five Burmese journalists jailed for 10 years for a single news report
Five journalists in Myanmar (formerly Burma) have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for “disclosing state secrets” after their newspaper reported on the building of an alleged chemical weapons factory.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/jul/18/press-freedom-burma
2014.07.18
Proposed media law in East Timor ‘a threat to freedom of the press’
A proposed media law under consideration in East Timor is regarded as a threat to press freedom, reports Human Rights Watch (HRW).
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/jul/18/press-freedom-timor-leste
2014.07.25
Four journalists, including Washington Post correspondent, detained in Iran
The Washington Post’s correspondent in Iran, Jason Rezaian, and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, have been detained in Tehran along with two unidentified American photojournalists.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/jul/25/journalist-safety-iran
2014.07.25
Bolivia’s child labour law shames us all
It is depressing to hear that Bolivia has become the first country to legalise child labour, reducing the minimum age of employment from 14 years old to just 10.
2014.07.28
Pussy Riot members take Kremlin to European court of human rights
Two members of the feminist group Pussy Riot are suing the Russian government in the European court of human rights (ECHR) over their imprisonment for a 2012 “punk prayer” protest at a Moscow cathedral.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/28/pussy-riot-kremlin-european-court-human-rights
國際人道法
2014.07.24
Ukraine: Unguided Rockets Killing Civilians
Unguided Grad rockets launched apparently by Ukrainian government forces and pro-government militias have killed at least 16 civilians and wounded many more in insurgent-controlled areas of Donetsk and its suburbs in at least four attacks between July 12 and 21, 2014, Human Rights Watch said today.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/24/ukraine-unguided-rockets-killing-civilians
2014.07.29
Senior Kosovo figures face prosecution for crimes against humanity
Leading political figures in Kosovo face indictment by a special EU court for crimes against humanity, including killings, abductions, sexual violence and other abuses of Serb and Roma minorities, according to the chief prosecutor leading a three-year special investigation (pdf).
2014.07.29
EU Probe Finds Crimes Against Humanity in Kosovo
BRUSSELS—A European Union investigative team said Tuesday that it had found evidence of crimes against humanity committed by high-ranking members of the Kosovo Liberation Army during and after the war with Serbia in the late 1990s.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/eu-probe-finds-crimes-against-humanity-in-kosovo-1406636679
2014.07.30
Schools and markets targeted in Gaza massacres
Israel’s security cabinet decided to continue its offensive in the enclave and there was no sign of a halt to a 23-day conflict in which 1,326 people, mostly civilians, have died.
2014.07.31
UN official: Israel, Hamas committing war crimes
The U.N.’s top human rights official accused both Israel and Hamas militants of committing war crimes in the latest Gaza war, but reserved her harshest words for the Israeli government, which she said Thursday was deliberately defying international law.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140731/NATION/307310079
國際環境法
2014.07.15
Governments Fulfil their Commitment: Access and Benefit-Sharing Treaty Receives Required Number of Ratifications to Enter into Force.
The entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol will provide greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources, creating a framework that promotes the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge while strengthening the opportunities for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use.
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2791&ArticleID=10941&l=en
2014.07.16
Customs Agents Get Electronic Control Over Wildlife Trade
Customs authorities in countries across the globe will have a new e-permitting system to regulate the import and export of species such as tigers and elephants and their parts under a new agreement signed today by two United Nations agencies.
http://ens-newswire.com/2014/07/16/customs-agents-get-electronic-control-over-wildlife-trade/
2014.07.18
EPA Blocks Giant Alaska Mine to Protect Bristol Bay Salmon
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed regulations to protect one of the world’s most valuable salmon fisheries, in Bristol Bay, Alaska, from the risks posed by a proposed open pit mine nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon and larger than Manhattan.
http://ens-newswire.com/2014/07/18/epa-blocks-giant-alaska-mine-to-protect-bristol-bay-salmon/
2014.07.30
UAE bans shark finning
The UAE has told its fishermen to stop hunting sharks for their fins in line with an international convention enforced in many countries worldwide.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/uae-bans-shark-finning-2014-07-30-1.557988
武裝衝突
2014.07.20
Palestinian cameraman killed in Gaza while covering Israeli attacks
A Palestinian news cameraman, Khaled Hamad, was killed early today inGaza, reportedly during Israeli artillery shelling of the city’s Shujaya (aka Shuja’iyya) residential district.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/jul/20/gaza-journalist-safety
2014.07.29
Israel Kills 15 During Assault On UN School As Military Intensifies Attack On Refugee Camp
Israeli shelling killed at least 15 Palestinians sheltering in aschool in Gaza’s biggest refugee camp on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said, as Egyptian mediators prepared a revised proposal to try to halt more than three weeks of fighting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/29/israel-gaza-assault_n_5632334.html
2014.07.30
Israeli Cabinet Vows to Intensify Gaza War: Over 1,442 Killed
The Israeli Security Cabinet once again spurned international calls to end their invasion of the Gaza Strip, today declaring that not only the war would continue, but that they will “intensify” the attacks.
http://news.antiwar.com/2014/07/30/israeli-cabinet-vows-to-intensify-gaza-war-1363-killed/
2014.07.31
Israel And Hamas Agree To 3-Day Cease-Fire, U.N. Says
A temporary peace will begin Friday morning in Gaza, as Israel and Hamas agree to an “unconditional humanitarian ceasefire,” according to a statement by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Secretary of State John Kerry.
2014.07.31
Two Palestinian journalists killed during Israeli attack on Gaza
Two Palestinian journalists were killed in Gaza yesterday, taking the journalistic toll to eight since the Israeli bombardment began a month ago.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/jul/31/gaza-palestinian-territories
國際海洋法
2014.07.15
UNCLOS Annex VII Tribunal decides Bangladesh-India maritime boundary dispute
On 7 July 2014, an Arbitral Tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (the Convention) issued its award in the Bay of Bengal Maritime Boundary Arbitration between the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of India, granting approximately 106,613km2 to Bangladesh and 300,220 km2to India, out of a total relevant area of 406,833km2. The Award provides much needed clarity on the maritime entitlements of both Bangladesh and India.
2014.07.21
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)
Outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines:
Submissions to the Commission: Submission by the Federal Republic of Somalia
On 21 July 2014, the Federal Republic of Somalia submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 8, of the Convention, information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of its territorial sea is measured.
http://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/submission_som_74_2014.htm
2014.07.31
Japan names islets in disputed area, around nation
Japan says it will give names to five uninhabited islands as part of a group in the East China Sea, a move likely to spark anger from other claimants China and Taiwan.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_26256707/japan-names-islets-disputed-area-around-nation
2014.07.31
Sicily: Italy claims her, but the island stands alone
The island kingdom was settled by Greeks in the seventh century B.C. The ancient cities of Siracusa and Messina prospered long before Italy existed as a nation. Palermo, the regional capital, once was the richest city in the Mediterranean. The island, which is south of Italian peninsula and just off the coast of North Africa, has been conquered and settled not just by the Greeks but also by the Arabs, the Spanish and the Norman kings, among others.
http://www.adn.com/article/20140731/sicily-italy-claims-her-island-stands-alone
2014.07.31
Cyprus, Eni and KOGAS in LNG cooperation agreement
Eni is the operator of blocks 2, 3 and 9 of the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone, with 80% participating interest; KOGAS is partner in these blocks, with a 20% participating interest.
國際貿易法
2014.07.10
Russia blocks EU panel request on pork ban
At the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meeting on 10 July, the European Union requested the establishment of a panel on what it said were restrictions by the Russian Federation on imports of live pigs, pork and other pig products from the EU. Russia opposed the panel request, and the DSB deferred the establishment of a panel to examine this dispute.
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news14_e/dsb_10jul14_e.htm
2014.07.15
Turkey launches safeguard investigation on printing, writing and copying papers
On 14 July 2014, Turkey notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it initiated on 21 June 2014 a safeguard investigation on printing, writing and copying papers.
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news14_e/safe_tur_15jul14_e.htm
2014.07.22
Two panels established on disputes between the EU and Russia
The Dispute Settlement Body, on 22 July, established two panels: on the Russian Federation’s complaint against anti-dumping measures by the European Union on imports from Russia, and on EU’s complaint against Russia’s measures on the importation of live pigs, pork and other pig products from the EU.
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news14_e/dsb_22jul14_e.htm
2014.07.24
Russia says U.S. sanctions break WTO rules, may cause trade dispute
The latest U.S. sanctions against Russia violate World Trade Organization rules and may force Moscow into a destabilising trade dispute, Russia’s ambassador told the Geneva-based trade body on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/24/us-ukraine-crisis-sanctions-wto-idUSKBN0FT1YI20140724
2014.07.24
WTO Advanced Trade Policy Course concludes in Geneva
Twenty government officials from developing countries and a least developed country concluded the two-month intensive training course on 24 July 2014 at the WTO.
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news14_e/tra_24jul14_e.htm
國際智慧財產權法
2014.07.01
European Commission Adopts New Strategy On Enforcement Of IP Rights
Today, the European Commission adopted two communications on intellectual property rights enforcement, one within the single market, the other in relation to third countries. Focusing on commercial scale infringement activities, the Commission will consider other measures later, including legislative ones.
2014.07.02
WIPO Copyright Committee Opens With Debate Over Broadcasting Treaty
The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committeebegan a week of discussions with delegates trying to decide what rights the treaty protecting broadcasting organisations should confer and if it should include internet transmissions. At the outset, a proposal to include industry “experts” into informal consultations to answer technical questions was challenged by several countries. And limitations and exceptions to copyright are coming up for discussion next.
2014.07.24
New Medicines Patent Pool-Gilead Agreement For New HIV Drug In 112 Countries
The Medicines Patent Pool today announced a new licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences for a new treatment still undergoing clinical trials. This agreement is expected to allow Chinese and Indian generic manufacturers to provide low-cost versions of the drug in 112 low-and middle-income countries.
2014.07.25
Special Report: Update On Implementation Of The EU Patent Package
Significant progress has been made in the implementation of the European regulation to establish a European unitary patent and an international treaty which sets up a unified patent court. Given the loaded agenda for the coming year, it seems that a lot of work remains to be done. Meanwhile, an ongoing proceeding before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) initiated by Spain could bring down the whole system, according to sources.
http://www.ip-watch.org/2014/07/25/special-report-update-on-implementation-of-the-eu-patent-package/
2014.07.30
Poland Eyes IPR Reform To Combat Plagiarism In Scientific Theses
The Polish Parliament is currently finalising work on a bill designed to make using anti-plagiarism software compulsory for Polish higher education institutions (HEIs). With the new law, universities are to become obliged to check all Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. theses to detect acts of plagiarism. However, local observers doubt whether the bill will provide Polish HEIs with sufficient means to counter this widespread problem and protect intellectual property.
http://www.ip-watch.org/2014/07/30/poland-eyes-ipr-reform-to-combat-plagiarism-in-scientific-theses/