Category Archives: Law

What a greedy child

I regularly receive e-mails with legal questions, even though I am on a sabbatical from lawyering and have only limited time available due to my studies of Philosophy and Development & Economics. No problem with that; if the person sounds … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Germany, Law | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Iran determined to set new record in 2011

Unfortunately a record of the abhorrent kind: In the first 2 weeks of this year alone, Iran has already executed 47 people. And that is the official number. As the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran points out, this … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Law, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Shirin Ebadi’s Fear

The Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has interpreted the harsh sentences imposed by the Iranian government on fellow lawyers in Iran as a “sign of fear” on behalf of the regime. That may well be so, … Continue reading

Posted in Human Rights, Iran, Law, Politics | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Film Review: “The Specialist” about the Eichmann Trial

Last night, I attended a screening by the Birkbeck Law Society of the film “The Specialist” about the trial of Adolf Eichmann in an Israeli court in 1961. The film, by Israeli director Eyal Sivan, works with original footage from the … Continue reading

Posted in German Law, Germany, History, Holocaust, Human Rights, Israel, Law, World War II | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

German minister incites racism.

Maybe I have gotten spoilt regarding respect for minorities and other cultures since moving to London, probably Europe’s most multi-cultural city. But what I heard this week from a German minister about some ethnic minorities was shocking even by German … Continue reading

Posted in Germany, Law, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Isn’t it obvious that Prince William had been waiting with his engagement to Kate Middleton until the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled that prenuptial agreements are now also recognised by English courts? Smart guy.

Posted in Family Law, Law, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

No rape in marriage, says head of Islamic Sharia Council

Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed, president of the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain says that under Sharia law, there can be no rape in marriage “because sexual intercourse is part of the marriage”. That is clearly a repulsive view, because as … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, Islam, Law, Politics, UK | 2 Comments

Quotas for women – why only in boardrooms?

Both the UK and the EU are considering the implementation of quotas for women in corporate boardrooms, something that Norway already did in 2004. This raises obvious questions which have been discussed many times before: What if not enough women … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Law, Politics | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

A day at the beach is NOT a human right.

Rachel Shabi of the Guardian writes sympathetically about Palestinian girls that are being taken to the beach by Israeli women. As nice as this may sound, this is another article about Israel/Palestine that is not inaccurate but delves too much … Continue reading

Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Law, Politics, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

“The Case of the Pope” by Geoffrey Robertson is a flawed case.

This week I attended a lecture at LSE by Geoffrey Robertson who was introducing his new book “The Case of the Pope: Vatican Accountability for Human Rights Abuse”, conveniently published just days before the Pope’s visit to Britain. Mr Robertson … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment