Government bodies

Office for the Victims of Crime

Website of the US Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the official body responsible for funding state compensation schemes for crime victims, supporting them and promoting their rights and contributing to the development of policy. It provides a large amount of information for victims, professionals who work with them and those carrying out research in the area. The site explains the organisation and work of the OVC and makes available its reports to Congress (1996 onwards). There is detailed guidance about applying for funding and organising events.

Accident Investigation : TWA Flight 800, Atlantic Ocean, near East Moriches, New York, July 17, 1996

Presents an abstract of the final report of the Investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into the in-flight break-up of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996, over the Atlantic Ocean near New York State, USA. Other items published on this site include documents of a Public Hearing on the accident investigation, held in December 1997, and documents on the investigation 1998-2000, including press releases, statements by the Chairman, factual reports, interview transcripts, and documents pertaining to witnesses.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Website of the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces which has "jurisdiction over members of the armed forces on active duty and other persons subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice". The site publishes details of the Court's constitutional basis, designation and history, and outlines the jurisdiction exercised by the Court and the Court's relationship to other US courts of law. It also publishes the full text opinions of the Court from 1997 onwards. The full-text (PDF) of the Annual Report of the Code Committee on Military Justice is available.

Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong

Website of the Intellectual Property Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The site has information arranged under the following headings: trademarks; patents; design and copyright including laws, circulars, practical information for users and FAQs. There is also organisational information about the Department as a whole and notices from the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Journal relating to trademarks, patents and designs. There is background information on intellectual property and how to apply for registration in Hong Kong.

Criminal Defense Resource Center

The State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) in Michigan, US, represents convicted indigent felons on appeal in the State. The website offers many resources for criminal attorneys, some freely available, some reserved for paying users. The free items include summaries - and some full reports - of recent criminal court decisions in Michigan and the US Supreme Court; court rules; guidance and information for the public the criminal justice system in Michigan; and links to other relevant websites.

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

The Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States(OECS) is an intergovernmental body founded in 1981 which seeks to promote cooperation amongst the nations of the Eastern Caribbean. Its members include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The site provides general information on the purpose of the body, its current activities and basic information about the member states. Details of projects and programmes are given along with documents, treaties and agreements.

National Human Rights Commission, India

Website of the National Human Rights Commission, India. A body set up by Indian statute in 1993, the Commission has a legal mandate to protect and promote human rights in India. The site includes information on the composition of the Commission and a full-text copy of the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993.There are selected human rights case summaries and details of programmes of work being undertaken by the Commission covering issues such as the abolition of bonded labour, the right to food and the rights of the disabled.

Provincial Court of British Columbia

Official website for the Provincial Court of British Columbia. The Court is responsible for criminal law, family law, some civil small claims cases and all Provincial offences. Related legislation is included in full text. A database is provided for judgments from 1999 onwards in HTML format, with access through a free text search engine. Information is also given on the organisation and administration of the Court, including notes on the judiciary and the judicial officers with contact details, and the rules of court for all the divisions. A page of related web links is also provided.

Human Rights Tribunal - Quebec

Website for the Human Rights Tribunal of Quebec. The Tribunal was created in December 1990, comes under the judiciary system of Quebec, and has jurisdiction to hear and rule on complaints concerning discrimination, harassment and exploitation. The site is available in English and French versions, and contains a description of the Tribunal and how it works, together with links to a database of decisions from 1991 onwards in full-text HTML format on CanLII. The decisions are mostly in French, although there is a section in English in a separate file.

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