Chinese universities conduct a nationwide audit of retracted academic papers; Hong Kong courts sentence more defendants in cases stemming from the 2019 protests; LGBTQ activists in Japan advocate for equal marriage rights on Valentine’s Day; South Korea convicts three former police officers for destroying evidence linked to a fatal crowd crush in Seoul on Halloween 2022; Taiwan solicits public input for the next phase of its Open Government National Action Plan.
USALI Faculty Director José E. Alvarez has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies in the United States. He is among 252 new members announced on April 22, and one of only five law professors who were chosen.
This 10-session seminar will introduce the legal system of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – in practice as well as theory – with an emphasis on institutions, norms, procedures, personnel and ideology relating to constitutional law, criminal justice and human rights. We will view the contemporary legal process against the background of China’s legal traditions and pre-Communist efforts to develop a modern legal system. We will also consider the relevant experiences of Chinese societies in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Pioneering scholar of Chinese law, Professor Jerome Alan Cohen has taught and mentored countless others in a field he helped establish in this country. A courageous voice for those whose voices have been silenced, Professor Cohen defends human rights around the globe. Bold trailblazer and advocate, for using his many talents to create a more just world, Yale is proud to present Professor Jerome Alan Cohen with his third Yale degree, Doctor of Laws.
From USALI Faculty Director Emeritus Jerome A. Cohen: “Here’s a draft of a new article that in a way is my Apologia Pro Vita Sua. There have been some debates about whether those of us who tried to help China build its legal system in the decade beginning in 1979 committed a mistake. I offer my thoughts in the article from a frank, close-up, first-hand perspective. I hope they will be useful for people thinking about our China policy and for anyone interested in recent Chinese history.”
A UN report accuses China of human rights violations in Xinjiang; Hong Kong’s High Court says that press freedom does not protect Jimmy Lai’s smart phones from being searched by security authorities; Japan reiterates its call for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council; a South Korean Supreme Court nominee comes out in favor of abolishing the death penalty; the Taiwan Innocence Project reports its 14th wrongful conviction exoneration.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reviews China’s performance; six members of a Hong Kong student group plead guilty to charges of subverting the state; a Japanese high court rules that a trans women cannot be the legal parent of her biological child born after her transition; South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission finds past military governments responsible for torture, forced labor, and deaths at a state-funded “vagrants” facility; Taiwan’s Cabinet urges the legislature to relax rules governing police use of weapons.
A Shanghai court convicts one of China’s richest businessmen of financial crimes; 29 Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates are reported to be preparing to plead guilty to subversion for their roles in organizing an unofficial primary; Japanese prosecutors accuse a former senior member of the Tokyo Olympics committee of corruption; a South Korean court hears testimony from Vietnamese survivors of alleged South Korean military atrocities during the Vietnam War; Taiwan’s main political parties back a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18.
A Beijing appeals court rejects the claims of a former broadcast intern in a high profile #MeToo case; Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai seeks judicial review to protect “journalistic materials“ on his phones; Japan for the first time grants refugee status to a Kurdish man with Turkish nationality; North Korea schedules a full session of its parliament for September; South Korea’s president pardons the Samsung heir for bribing a previous president; Taiwan raises the minimum wage for foreign domestic workers by 17% - still below the minimum for Taiwanese workers.
China prohibits discrimination against people who have been infected with Covid; Hong Kong’s High Court removes a ban on reporting on a national security case; Japanese lawyers say that denying a prison inmate access to glasses is a rights violation; South Korea’s government considers asking an international tribunal to stop Japan from discharging radioactive water into the ocean.
China’s procuratorate releases case statistics for the first six months of 2022; Hong Kong considers creating new cyber crime offenses; Japan considers allowing divorced couples joint custody of their children; human rights groups in South Korea criticize the 2019 deportation of two North Korean fishermen; a court in Taiwan again demands that civil authorities register the marriage of a same-sex couple even though the home country of one of the partners does not recognize gay marriage.
China’s highest court issues rules to make it easier for domestic violence victims to obtain personal security protective orders; the UN Human Rights Committee concludes its review of Hong Kong’s implementation of the ICCPR; Japanese health authorities seek to empower hotels to reject guests suspected of having Covid; a South Korean bishop calls for reinstatement of the country’s abortion ban, which was lifted only in 2021; a Taiwan court confirms the state’s ownership of two former presidents’ diaries.
Shenzhen becomes the first Chinese city to allow advance medical directives; the UN Human Rights Committee begins reviewing Hong Kong’s rights record under the National Security Law; Japan’s #MeToo movement symbol Shiori Ito achieves final victory at the Supreme Court; reports of workplace harassment climb in South Korea as employees return to the office; prosecutors in Taiwan charge a police officer for his use of force.
China’s Supreme Court, prosecutors, and police release drug-related statistics and cases to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking; Hong Kong police search the homes of pro-democracy politicians ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the city; Japan’s Supreme Court orders Twitter to delete a 10-year-old tweet to protect a man’s privacy; South Korea’s Ministry of Justice challenges the constitutionality of laws that stripped prosecutors of most prosecutorial powers; Taiwan’s Constitutional Court hears arguments in a dispute over legal recognition of an indigenous group.
China’s legislature reviews eight draft laws; Hong Kong’s incoming leader announces his cabinet members; a Japanese court says the current ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional; South Korean prosecutors plan a crackdown on voice phishing scams; Taiwan’s Control Yuan says it will seek an extraordinary prosecutorial appeal to expunge the conviction of an indigenous man for illegal hunting.
China drafts its first law on compulsory enforcement of civil judgments; Hong Kong amends its occupational safety and health regulations; Japan’s Supreme Court finds the government not liable for the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident; South Korean police apprehend more than 5,000 suspects in the five months since the enactment of an anti-stalking law; Taiwan’s CEDAW compliance review finds an increase in reports of domestic violence.
China offers rewards to citizens who report on national security threats; Japan revises its Child Welfare Law; South Korean legislators propose banning hate speech in an effort to stop protests outside the former president’s home; Hong Kong’s incoming chief executive asks a court to relieve him of punishment for violating election advertising regulations; Taiwan’s legislators raise national security concerns over the sale of a news outlet.
China takes steps to expunge and seal juvenile criminal records; Japan considers revising the criminal procedure law to allow arrest and search warrants to be issued online; South Korea’s Supreme Court says the government is not required to enact a law to compensate businesses that operated in North Korea; Hong Kong closes portions of Victoria Park to prevent gatherings for the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen killings; Taiwan requires mediation of medical disputes before they go to court.
Michelle Bachelet begins her human rights visit to China; Japan’s top court rules unconstitutional the inability of Japanese expats to vote on justices; South Korea’s Supreme Court finds the lawyers’ code of conduct unconstitutional for banning lawyers from joining online legal counseling platforms; former Hong Kong University Law Professor Benny Tai is sentenced to ten months in prison; Taiwan’s Constitutional Court finds a Supreme Court ruling on child custody unconstitutional.
China’s ecology and environment ministry issues regulations on compensation for ecological and environmental damage; Japan passes a bill to provide more support for vulnerable women who are victims of sexual or domestic violence; a South Korean court posthumously exonerates 20 more persons who were imprisoned following the 1948 Jeju Uprising; Taiwan amends its mining law to require the approval of indigenous people and environmental impact assessments.
China launches an anti-trust investigation into the nation’s largest academic database; Tokyo municipality prepares to recognize same-sex partnerships; Hong Kong police arrest four prominent pro-democracy figures who were trustees of a fund that helped accused 2019 protesters; Taiwan’s legislature considers amending two laws to increase protection of businesses and key technologies from China.
China’s legislature releases its 2022 legislative plan; Japan’s Supreme Court plans to digitalize civil judicial procedures; South Korea’s departing president further strips prosecutors of investigation powers; Hong Kong’s global rank in press freedoms plummets; Taiwan announces its first national human rights action plan.
Chinese courts are ending the practice of “same life, different price”; the Hong Kong government acknowledges delays in handling cases related to the 2019 protests; an OECD working group expresses concern over the South Korean ruling party’s bid to strip prosecutors of investigatory powers; trade unions in Taiwan say employers should be held accountable for occupational injuries.
New Zealand’s Supreme Court greenlights the extradition of a permanent resident to China to face a murder charge; a Hong Kong veteran journalist is accused of conspiring to publish seditious materials; Japan expands the scope of rescue activities of its Self-Defense Forces; Taipei city councilors say the government gave recordings of residents’ hotline calls to a private software firm without their permission.
China increases judicial financial assistance to women in need and punishes local officials in Shaanxi for ignoring human trafficking; Hong Kong courts complete 80% of cases that have been brought to them in connection with the 2019 protest; Japan lowers the age of majority in the criminal justice system and promptly releases the name of a 19-year old suspect; Taiwan police prepare to enforce a new stalking law.
