Cohen, Freedom of Expression, misconduct and the SCJ
On April 26, 1968, Paul Robert Cohen was observed in a corridor of a Los Angeles courthouse wearing a jacket bearing the words “F... the Draft”. He was sentenced at first instance to 30 days in prison, a sentence upheld by an appellate court, for "maliciously and willfully disturbing the peace [...] by offensive conduct". The incident took place about one month after President Lyndon Johnson's decision to double the US military presence in Vietnam to 500,000, which, according to military advice would enable US to defeat the Viet Cong, North Vietnam's guerilla. In the end, Cohen won his case on appeal to the Supreme Court, Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971). The court accepted his position that “the words were on the jacket as a means of informing the public of the [...]
On fake news and electronic communications
For three years, the government (former and present) has been promoting a bill to amend the Criminal Code, Chapter 154, aimed at criminalizing fake news and forms of electronic communication, telephone and Internet. The Anastasiades government initiated the bill with its then minister of Justice Emily Yiolitis. There is no ...
Refugees, threads, deaths
We are informed that in the context of the events organized to commemorate 50 years of displacement from our homes and lands, the authorities have created "Threads", a project for each displaced person to record the itinerary followed and all the places one has stayed in throughout our ongoing uprooting. ...
Winners and losers in the 2016 municipal elections
Abstention, as a dominant element of the electoral contest, has determined the result for the election of mayors. The extent to which each political power was affected by abstention impacted on its ability to get the candidate it supported elected in a municipality. The main conclusion is that the four ...
Semi-governmental organisations, article 4 and answers pending
In response to my article in Kathimerini, dated February 2, 2024, with the title "Judge Aresti, the State and the semi-governmental organisations", in which I commented on views he had expressed in an interview on January 28, 2024, Mr. Aresti overlooked my key questions and cited instead article 4 of ...
Mavrogiannis can make it to the second round
An interview to Michalis Michael, published in Haravgi The biggest part of the electorate is not moved by techniques aiming to impress; it has long since adopted an attitude of almost a cold observer. The most important element, which is ideas and meaningful policies, is absent from the debate and ...
Constitutional order, institutions and a Vice President for Cyprus
The proposal made by Averof Neophytou for a Vice-President of the Republic or assistant to the President to be elected by the Greek Cypriots seems to have vanished before it was even formulated. However, on the occasion of this pre-election episode, it would be good and useful to examine issues ...
Five questions about France and French elections
As is the case in every election, the focus of attention in the June 2022 French parliamentary elections was on results, the final parties’ /candidates’ share, Macron’s re-election and his party’s top position, as well as on other parties’ successes. This is normal and a logical reaction given that ...
Allocation of State Funding to Political Parties
In this article we will apply the provisions of the law On Political Parties, Law 175 (I) / 2012, which refer to the distribution of state funding to political parties, in order to check if any gaps or problems derive from their implementation. This will contribute to better understanding and ...
State Funding of Parties, and Elections
The question of an eventual redistribution of the State funding of political parties in Cyprus is the subject of debate between institutions and in the public sphere, especially in recent days. Following an opinion requested by the Auditor General from the Legal Service of the Republic, two main issues were ...
The President, the Government and the Integrity of the Elections
“(A) clear separation between the State and political parties; in particular, political parties will not be merged with the State;”, is one of the “elements of justice, which are essential to the full expression of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all human beings”. This ...
