Posted by The Law School
9 March 2026The latest posts on the Dignity & Democracy Blog discuss recent developments from the Venice Commission, ongoing violence in Kashmir and Minneapolis, and the shortfalls in implementing the dignity vision in post-colonial Nigeria.
The Updated Rule of Law Checklist of the Venice Commission, by Qerim Qerimi
Over three decades after its creation, the Venice Commission has become a global reference point for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Its 2016 Rule of Law Checklist quickly became a benchmark tool used by courts, EU institutions, and civil society across Europe and beyond. Nearly a decade later, the Venice Commission undertook the task of updating its Checklist. In this piece, Qerim Qerimi, member of the Venice Commission and chair of its Scientific Council, examines the recent changes, commenting that whilst “it does not seek to redefine the rule of law [the Updated Checklist] refines and operationalises it for contemporary conditions.”
Politics of Harm: From Kashmir to Minneapolis (Part I), by Zainab Zafar
Through the lens of immigration policies in Kashmir and Minneapolis, Zainab Zafar, a freelance journalist from Pakistan, sheds light on how dignity becomes unevenly distributed in the context of the use of force and violence by States. The post discusses how militarised policing and emergency laws entrench systemic discrimination, and how human dignity becomes conditional on citizenship, and revealing deep democratic crises.
The Dignity Gap in Post-Colonial Nigeria, by Ayobami Ruth Olufemi-White
In this two-part piece, Ayobami Olufemi-White, a lawyer, writer, political commentator and human rights advocate in Nigeria, takes us back to the origins of human dignity in post-colonial Nigeria. She argues that despite strong constitutional protection, “Nigeria’s post-colonial journey illustrates the tension between aspiration and reality, between the moral and legal commitment to human dignity and the lived experience of its citizens.”
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