South Korean Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-seop resigned on Friday after 25 days in office. Lee is under investigation for his alleged interference in the investigation of Marine Sergeant Choi Su-geun’s death. Upon his resignation, Lee called upon authorities to quickly conduct an investigation and said he would cooperate. Lee claimed that the Corruption Investigation [...]

Hong Kong’s recently enacted Safeguarding National Security Ordinance blocked the first inmate’s sentence remission under the Prison Rules on Tuesday. The same day, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said that serious national security crime offenders would not likely be granted early release unless the Commissioner of Correctional Services believes early release would not undermine [...]

The Thai House of Representatives approved Wednesday an equal marriage bill, with 400 favouring votes out of 415 members of the house. The bill still requires approval from the Senate and endorsement from the king. If the Senate and the king approve the legislation, Thailand will become the third Asian country/region that recognises same-sex marriage, after [...]

The European Council on Friday imposed sanctions on Russian officials and entities linked to the death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny. The sanctions were introduced under the EU’s current Global Human Rights Sanction Regime, including an asset freeze, prohibitions on the provision of funds or economic resources, and a travel ban to the EU. [...]

The German Bundestrat approved the Cannabis Act Friday to decriminalize limited personal cannabis consumption and cultivation, allowing the act to go into effect on April 1. The act was previously approved by the Bundestag in February. The act seeks to better regulate cannabis consumption and combat organized crime. The act requires a cultivation association to [...]

The Hong Kong Legislative Council unanimously voted in favour of the new Safeguarding National Security Bill on Tuesday. The bill will be gazetted and come into effect on March 23. The bill consists of nine parts. It criminalises several national security offences that are listed in Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law but [...]

The Hong Kong District Court jailed 12 activists on Saturday, with sentences ranging from 54 months to 82 months, for their previous riot convictions. Judge Li Zhihao reasoned that the case was particularly serious because the Legislative Council Complex enjoys “a unique constitutional status and symbolizing meaning” and the activists destroyed the complex with the [...]

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance dismissed an application for judicial review on Friday to challenge the real-name registration regime for SIM card users. The court held that the regime is not “unreasonable” and warrants no interference from the court. The Telecommunications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulation requires licensed telecommunications companies to record their [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada clarified on Friday the scope of judicial review for tribunal decisions, holding that judicial review is available even when a statutory right to appeal from tribunal decisions is limited to pure questions of law. The case involved an insurance dispute. The insurer refused to pay accident benefits to the claimant, [...]

The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted the Media Freedom Act to protect journalists and press freedoms. The new law was adopted with 464 votes in favor, 92 against and 65 abstentions. The act forbids EU member states from compelling journalists to disclose their sources and deploying surveillance spyware against journalists. A new European Board for [...]