Celestial bodies as human burial sites? Indigenous Rights and Space

Dr. Hilding Raymond Neilson

Space launches are becoming more and more common as more commercial companies enter the space industrial complex.  Astrobiotics, on January 8, 2024, attempted a significant step forward by becoming the first private enterprise to attempt a lander mission to the Moon called Peregrine. The spacecraft carried a number of payloads including small rovers, NASA experiments, time capsules, and the cremated remains of dozens of humans and one dog.  That latter payload was paid for by the companies Elysium Space and Celestis who act as “Space Burial Companies”. The company Celestis has been selling access to “Space burials” for more than a decade.

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The Suitability of Restorative and Retributive Mechanisms to Achieving Transitional Justice for Victims of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in South Sudan

Temitope Adeyemi-Taiye

Introduction

Years of conflict in South Sudan have resulted in widespread acts of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in the nation, especially against women and young girls. The devastating effects of this issue are usually physical harm, psychological issues, and in many cases death of the victims. Despite the peace agreement signed by the political leaders and efforts taken to stop the conflict and the crimes, CRSV is still one of the most prevalent issues in the country. The South Sudanese government and opposition leaders signed the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) in an attempt to stop the fighting. However, conflict resumed in 2016, rendering the agreement temporary. The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018, included three important components related to transitional justice and peace. The first element is the establishment of a Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing Commission, which is critical for promoting peace. The second component is the creation of an independent hybrid court to hold accountable those who violated national and international laws. The third element is the Compensation and Reparation Authority, which will provide financial and material assistance to those who suffered losses in the conflict.[1] Although this agreement is viewed as a significant move towards peace in the country, it has yet to fully execute its mandates due to the prevalence of conflict-related sexual violence.

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The prospects of establishing a truth-seeking mechanism in addressing the legacies of human rights atrocities in the Israel-Palestine conflict

Kaye Vassallo

The Israel-Palestine conflict is a complex and long-standing dispute that centres around competing claims to land and sovereignty as both Palestinians and Israelis claim historical and religious ties to the territory. The conflict has been ongoing for seven decades and its resolution is critical to achieving lasting peace and stability in the region. As of yet, transitional justice measures have been largely absent in resolving the conflict. There has been a particular focus in contemporary literature on the merits of establishing a truth commission which is a mechanism of restorative justice.

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Defining, Evaluating, and Utilizing the concept of “Cyber Justice”

Tamara Blagojevic

On the internet, as the fast developing, virtual and digital mirror of reality, and a diverse, multi stakeholder spectrum, it becomes hard catching up with the constantly evolving digital and technological trends. But, all of the actors on the web, still have their rights and freedoms taken from the real world, transplanted to be utilized digitally, in this newly proclaimed common good, known as cyberspace. The difference here is, that the human element and the technological means were necessary to create the network, making it an artificial common good. In a nutshell, the NIST glossary defines cyberspace as: “The complex environment resulting from the interaction of people, software and services on the Internet by means of technology devices and networks connected to it, which does not exist in any physical form.”

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The American Bar Association’s Adoption of a Resolution Protecting Civil Society Actors

Corinne Lewis, Partner Lex Justi

The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of the American Bar Association.  

Around the globe, governments are increasingly seeking to silence or stifle the work of civil society actors (CSAs), that is, human rights advocates, nongovernmental organizations, and other persons and associations that contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights. Governments are using not only more traditional forms of repression, harassment, disappearance, imprisonment, and execution, but also other measures that are in some ways not as apparent to the public and are more insidious and abhorrent.

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