Full Coverage: Law

31.10.2006 The Referendum on the New Constitution of Serbia succeeded, reports CeSID on the basis of its exit poll conducted on a representative sample of 600 ballot stations. 51.6% of all registered voters voted for the New Constitution. In absolute numbers, that is 108,000 votes more than the required threshold.

30.10.2006 Quinze ganhadores do Prêmio Nobel da Paz - entre eles o Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Óscar Arias e a Anistia Internacional - pedem aos governos que apoiem o Tratado Internacional sobre o Comércio de Armas, no seio da Comissão de Desarmamento e Segurança Internacional (Primeira Comissão) da Assembléia Geral da ONU.

27.10.2006 Marijana Pajvancic, professor of Constitutional Law at Novi Sad University, said last night, at the “Boycott, Of Course!” debate held at the Museum of Vojvodina, that the referendum process won’t be controlled properly, having in mind that the Referendum Commission members come solely from the ranks of political parties that support the New Constitution.

26.10.2006 The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Spatial Planning and Construction (MZOPU) released the draft-Rulebook on Management of Waste Oils. This is another of planned rulebooks designed to raise the levels of environmental protection, secure the implementation of legislation on waste management and European directives.

26.10.2006 The Intiative for Boycott of the Referendum on the New Constitution, started by Vojvodina based non-governmental organizations, demanded from the state authorities to start ex officio investigation on the incident in TuesdaysÂ’ rally in Belgrade, accompanied with insults on a whole nation, the NGO and political party activists who support the boycott of the coming Referendum.

26.10.2006 The much-awaited law against domestic violence comes into force on October 26, 2006. Touted as a “landmark” pro-women legislation, the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, 2005 seeks to address issues linked to status of women within their homes that often gets pushed under the carpet.

25.10.2006 The 4th Annual Assembly of the Federation of NGOs in Serbia(FeNS) was held in Belgrade, October 21-22, with participation of over 150 representatives of member-organizations.

21.10.2006 The application of Mayan law in indigenous communities in the northwestern department of Solola, has led to a heated debate on customary law — or usos y costumbres — meaning the institutions and practices of indigenous people, human rights and the official judicial system

19.10.2006 The Green ForumZeleni forum, a network of Croatian environmental associations, announces a public competition for education of lawyers and law students (in their senior years) on environmental law.

13.10.2006 The courts tend to take an insensitive stand on the multiple, and often contradictory, versions of victims/survivors of gender violence – whether it’s Zaheera Sheikh of the Best Bakery case or a woman widowed in the 1984 riots. Surely the trauma of the individual concerned should be taken into consideration?

13.10.2006 In addition to the official referendum campaign and political commentary in mainstream media, the citizens of Serbia have the opportunity to get involved into online debate on the new Serbian Constitution, the solutions it offers and the reasons for the call to boycott the referendum.

13.10.2006 “Tuto Completo”, the Kakanj based NGO that is known to the public for its role in the “Motley Revolution” in front of the Building of the B&H Presidency in Sarajevo of two weeks ago, finally spoke out on the reasons and goals of its action. At the same time, it apologized to the citiznes and to the members of SIPA for the “provoked brutality”.

12.10.2006 The corruption in Serbia has returned to its pre-October 5, 2000 levels, states the Council for Fight against Corruption in its letter to Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.

12.10.2006 Kosovo lawmakers, on Monday, in a special session of the Kosovo Parliament amended and adopted the Law on Cultural Heritage, which is one of the 13 additional standards determined by the Contact Group.

11.10.2006 More than 20 nongovernmental organizations asked the citizens of Serbia to reconsider whether to go out and vote in the Referendum on the New Constitution, scheduled for October 28-29.

06.10.2006 After the Draft of the New Constitution of Serbia was voted in by the Serbian Parliament without a proper public debate, the civil society in Serbia slowly mobilizes its efforts towards a campaign to boycott the referendum for confirmation of the new Constitution, scheduled for October 28 and 29.

03.10.2006 The Open Society Fund and the Centre for Democracy will hold a round-table discussion on October 6, with the goal to initiate the public debate on the Draft-Constitution in the civil society, at the University and in professional associations.

02.10.2006 NEW YORK, Oct 2 (OneWorld) - Environmental groups are concerned about a new plan to build a 700-mile long fence along the border with Mexico.

01.10.2006 SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 30 (OneWorld) - Health groups are rejoicing this week after a federal judge in New York gave the go-ahead to the largest class action lawsuit in U.S. history. Smokers of "light" and "low tar" cigarettes are suing tobacco companies, accusing them of fraud, and are seeking up to $200 billion in damages.