Ingress: I ett upprop som under tisdagen publiceras i 37 dagstidningar uppmanar sinologer, förläggare, journalister, konstnärer m fl Kina att frige förläggaren Gui Minhai. De kinesiska myndigheternas agerande mot den svenske medborgaren strider mot grundläggande rättsprinciper och utgör en allvarlig kränkning av de mänskliga rättigheterna, skriver de 45 undertecknarna.

Ingress: I Kina är Mao fortfarande hjälte. Det mesta tyder på att han under överskådlig framtid kommer att fortsätta se ut över Himmelska fridens torg, skriver Per Sevastik. Allt ljus är riktat mot Kina.

Ingress: I tio dagar pågick i november 2006 en utställning i Peking om mänskliga rättigheter. Det var en sällsam tillställning med endast särskilt inbjudna gäster. De stora massorna hölls borta. Utställningslokalerna dominerades.

Ingress: Två konkreta förslag. Av 861 Nobelpris har bara 44 gått till kvinnor. I år prisbelönas 9 män. Nu är hög tid att komma till rätta med bristen på kvinnliga Nobelpristagare. Varför inte i inbjudningsbreven till världens lärosäten framhålla att lika många kvinnor som män bör föreslås till prisen, skriver akademiker, författare och andra som vill se en förändring.

From Introduction: The Arab Spring and the echo it created throughout the world in 2011 raised a debate on freedom of expression and the role that new Information Communication Technology (ICT) can play in order to enhance democratization. Through social media, grass-root journalism, civil society and engaged individuals, current views for change were disseminated and people mobilized to act against authoritarian ruling. In some countries the mode of method raised voices and was powerful, in other constraints was made to hinder communication through open information orders, and what had started as grass-root movements were dismantled.

This presentation covers Sida’s ambition to cover current world trends with an attempt to strategically update its knowledge and understanding regarding freedom of expression and the role that new communication technology has had on the enhancement of democracy. The flow of information has become instantaneous, inexpensive, it transcends boundaries and empowers people and enhances globalisation. The overarching aim of the assessment is to analyze the external environments in order for Sida to enhance its own internal capabilities.

This thesis deals with the issue concerning the influence of customary international law on treaty law. Its main purpose is to analyse the interaction between the two most important sources of international law: custom and treaties. In this respect two objectives are set forth. The first is to examine the potential power of customary international law and what actual mechanisms involve informal modification of treaties. The second is to describe informal modification within a treaty regime. Does the process within the regime involve customary international law? The author argues that there is a distinction between informal modification in the light of subsequent customary international law and subsequent practice that develops within a treaty regime.

The issue of how to assess the so-called "innovations" of the UN Charter is also described in this thesis. These "innovations' can be seen as either informal modifications of the Charter, or as new interpretations of the "same old rule". Thus, if practice within the Charter regime develops sub lege it is a question of interpretation. If practice develops contra legem a de facto modification may occur. The instances of de facto modifications are, however, rare and in most cases the Charter is interpreted sub lege and in both cases with no involvement of customary international law. Nevertheless doctrine treats these incidents interchangeably, i.e. as customary law. The International Law Commission Draft on the Law of Treaties provided that a treaty may be modified by subsequent practice in the application of the treaty establishing their agreement to that effect. Although this provision was not included in the text of the Vienna Convention, informal treaty modification by subsequent practice of the parties is generally considered to be a rule of customary law.

Ingress: Förstörelsen av sommarpalatset utanför Peking anses vara en av historiens värsta kultur­skändningar. Och kineserna har inte glömt.

Ingress: Fallet med regimkritikern Ai Weiwei aktualiserar frågan om mänskliga rättigheter i Kina. Här beskriver Per Sevastik en utveckling där kommunistpartiet söker legitimitet hos filosofen Konfucius.

Ingress: Kinas förhållande till väst präglas ännu starkt av opiumkrigen på 1800-talet. Förödmjukelsen intar en central plats också i dagens kinesiska historieskrivning. Men väst har uppenbarligen inte reflekterat nog över kolonialismens konsekvenser, skriver Per Sevastik.

The United Nations (UN) has worked systematically to explain the relationship between the rule of law and human rights since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted in 1948. The rule of law was not mentioned in the 1945 UN Charter, but human rights were, and the rule of law was for the first time mentioned in the UDHR. Several resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have created a strong nexus between the two concepts, as discussed in this article. However, there is still no authoritative definition of the rule of law, though some features of the rule of law are respected at the national level. In its progressive expansion of the meaning of the term rule of law, the UN has made a distinction between the rule of law at the national and international levels, and in its Declaration on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels from 2012, the UNGA went further and made clear that the rule of law applies internationally. Despite attempts from the UNGA to contribute to the definition there is no agreed definition of what the rule of law implies at the international level. This article uses the former UN Secretary-General’s definition of the rule of law from 2004 as a point of departure to explain the development of the rule of law at a national and international level. At the international level, the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice are addressed; both have played a crucial role in developing the rule of law but not enough to fully alter the vision of the State and its sovereignty in international law.

This article seeks to explain the complicated relationship between human rights and the rule of law in a country that is unable or unwilling to advance the rule of law. Islamic principles and Afghan legal traditions complicates the already complex relationship between the rule of law, human rights and impunity. The rule of law and human rights are two sides of the same principle, the freedom to live in dignity. The rule of law and human rights therefore have an indivisible and intrinsic relationship. The Afghan government’s promotion of impunity, for warlords and others accused of war crimes, hampers the advancement of rule of law and human rights and negatively affects the path of reforms in the area of human rights and rule of law in Afghanistan.

Vad innebär begreppet ”rättsstatens principer” (rule of law)? Och vad avser man med ”mänskliga rättigheter”? Finns det några definitiva svar på dessa frågor? Vidare, hur relaterar begreppen till varandra? I denna artikel, författad av Per Sevastik, klargörs och analyseras dessa och andra sammanhängande frågeställningar samt deras relevans i ljuset av den internationella utvecklingen inom respektive områden.

Introductory paragraph: The time has come to talk about a new world order. The United Nations marked its 70th anniversary last month with the launch of a "new universal agenda for humanity", whose overarching goal is to "transform our world for the better by 2030".

Introductory paragraph: While Asia-Pacific is one of the world's largest regions in terms of population, it has long been known for being among the least developed in terms of institutional mechanisms for protecting human rights.

Ingress: Det kineserna möjligen kan säga nu, när ekonomin är på topp och nationalismen är som starkast, är att väst inte ska tala om för Kina vad mänskliga rättigheter är för något. Det skriver Per Sevastik, gästprofessor vid Pekings universitet.

From the Executive Summary: This executive summary sets out the findings and recommendations of the evaluation of the three Sida-funded contributions to the Montreal Protocol. The findings are based on our research, which is largely based on interviews with various stakeholders in Sweden and abroad, as well as on study of documents received from Sida.

En bok i folkrätt redogör på ett överskådligt sätt för folkrättens karaktär och spelregler. Boken innehåller en rad exempel från den världspolitiska scenen. Här finns kapitel som behandlar folkrättens doktrin, källor, subjekt och internationella organisationer. Vidare följer kapitel om vilka folkrättsliga regler som gäller för statsansvar, immunitet, erkännandefrågor och statssuccession. I boken diskuteras också vilka regler som gäller under krig och fred, om mänskliga rättigheter, migrations och flyktingrätt, internationell miljörätt samt andra aktuella folkrättsliga frågor. Författarna redogör både för uttalanden om gällande rätt och för uttalanden om rätten såsom man önskar se den utformad för framtiden. En bok i folkrätt vänder sig till en bred läsekrets som studenter, yrkesverksamma och andra med intresse för ämnet.