All posts by Valgerður Guðmundsdóttir, Rachael Lorna Johnstone & Cristina-Silvia Cretu

New Special Issue of Nordicum-Mediterraneum Published: Twenty years of legal education at the University of Akureyri

Announcement, News

The latest special edition of Nordicum-Mediterraneum contains contributions in celebration of the 20th anniversary of legal education at the University of Akureyri. The articles are based on presentations at the anniversary symposium held in March 2023 alongside some other works.

All articles are available on an open-access basis as usual: Volume 18, no. 2 (2023)

The three editors provide a short introduction, “Special Editors’ Introduction ” which is followed by five articles and a personal tribute. The first article, “Um laganám við Háskólann á Akureyri ,” (About legal education at the University of Akureyri) contains the personal reflections of three of those who played a key role in the establishment of the legal studies. Guðmundur H. Frímannson, emeritus professor, Mikael Karlsson, emeritus professor, and Rachael Lorna Johnstone, professor, discuss challenges that they faced and overcame to deliver the education and research for which the Faculty is known today. Júlí Ósk Antonsdóttir, adjunct and district court lawyer, contributes “Réttindi forsjárlauss foreldris: Veldur afsal á forsjá til barnaverndarþjónustu réttindamissi forsjárlauss foreldris ?” (The rights of the non-custodial parent: does relinquishment of custody to child protection services constitute a loss of rights for the non-custodial parent?), examining the rights of non-custodial parents when the parent with custody transfers custody to child protection services. Rachael Lorna Johnstone, professor, follows with “Polar Law after the Invasion of Ukraine ” about the importance of international law and relying on international approaches when it comes to resolving challenges and disputes in the polar regions. Sara Fusco, PhD student and graduate of the polar law programme at the University of Akureyri, continues the special issue with “In dubio pro natura, Environmental Constitutionalism and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic ,.” Her article traces how environmental law is influencing modern constitutionalism and how this is reflected in interpretation and application of Indigenous rights to land. Then Eleni Kontostathi, another polar law graduate, and Polina Ananina, former student of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, deliver “The Northern Sea Route: New Opportunities, New Challenges ,” about how global warming is affecting the Arctic and its legal environment. They place special emphasis on discussing the Russian government’s emphasis on its cooperation with the Chinese government and the potential for new ports and infrastructure by making use of the North Sea Route. The special issue closes with an In Memoriam tribute to Ágúst Þór Árnason, by Ragnheiður Elfa Þorsteinsdóttir, lecturer.

Image: Speakers at the 20th anniversary symposium, March 2023.

Special editors: Valgerður Guðmundsdóttir, Rachael Lorna Johnstone and Cristina -Silvia Cretu

19 December 2023

Special Editors’ Introduction

Volume 18, no. 2 (2023), Introductory note, ,

Legal education at the University of Akureyri (UNAK) began in 2003. At that time, it must have seemed a rather far-fetched and, in some opinions, crazy idea. Nevertheless, the studies began in the joint Faculty of Social Sciences and law. Credit for that work goes to the progressive and considerate individuals who will be thanked in due course. It is safe to say that since then, the department has flourished, both in teaching and research, and has now become one of the most specialized in the country in the fields of international law and polar law.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Faculty of Law held a symposium in March 2023. Speakers were recruited, primarily from the strong body of the faculty’s own graduates, to showcase the various paths available to students graduating from UNAK’s law programmes and to discuss how the degrees prepared them for their careers. The faculty had the honour of hosting a keynote speech by the President of Iceland, Guðni Th Jóhannesson, who gave a talk on the role of the Head of State under the Constitution. This was followed by presentations on the status of Members of Parliament, the rights of victims in the criminal justice system, the legal environment for journalists, Protocol 35 to the EEA Agreement, the status of polar law following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, land rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of environmental law and last but not least the experiences of students at the Faculty of Law today.

Participants at the 20th Anniversary Symposium of the Faculty of Law
The Social Impact of Legal Education in Akureyri

Programme
Full recording

Alongside the symposium, the Faculty worked with Nordicum-Mediterraneum to develop this special issue dedicated to the 20th anniversary celebrations. The first contribution contains the personal reflections of three of those who played a key role in the preparation and early days of legal education at the University of Akureyri. Professors Emeriti Guðmundur H. Frímansson and Mikael M. Karlsson and Professor Rachael Lorna Johnstone discuss challenges that they faced and overcame to deliver the education and research for which the Faculty is known today. Four double-blind peer-reviewed articles follow. Júlí Ósk Antonsdóttir, adjunct and district court lawyer, writes about the rights of the non-custodial parent in cases where the custodial parent relinquishes custody of the child to child protection services. Then Rachael Lorna Johnstone, professor, talks about the importance of international law, and of applying international approaches, when it comes to solving challenges and disputes in the polar regions. An article by Sara Fusco, PhD student and graduate of the polar law programme, follows, tracing how environmental law is influencing modern constitutionalism and how this is reflected in interpretation and application of Indigenous rights to land. The final peer-reviewed paper is by another polar law graduate, Eleni Kontostathi, and Polina Ananina, graduate of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. It discusses how global warming is affecting the Arctic and its legal environment. The authors place special emphasis on discussing the Russian government’s emphasis on its cooperation with the Chinese government and the potential for new ports and infrastructure by making use of the North Sea Route. The special issues concludes with a tribute to Ágúst Þór Árnason, former colleague and friend at the Faculty of Law, written by lecturer Ragnheiður Elfa Þorsteinsdóttir. Ágúst Þór played a major role in the establishment and delivery of legal studies at the University of Akureyri, as well as contributing to constitutional law and human rights in Iceland, and holds a great place in the hearts of the many who knew him. He is fondly remembered.

The Faculty of Law would like to express its thanks to all those who participated in celebrating the Faculty’s anniversary this year. It is our hope that the Faculty of Law at UNAK will continue to bloom and be a leader in teaching and research in various fields of law in the years to come.

Inngangur – frá ritstjóra sérheftis

Introductory note, ,

Árið 2003 hófst kennsla í lögfræði við Háskólann á Akureyri (HA). Á þeim tíma hefur þetta eflaust þótt nokkuð viðamikil, og af einhverjum galin, hugmynd. Engu að síður hófst námið í sameiginlegri félagsvísinda-og lagadeild. Heiðurinn af því starfi eiga framsæknir og hugaðir einstaklingar sem verður seint þakkað nægilega mikið. Óhætt er að segja að síðan þá hafi deildin blómstrað, bæði í kennslu og rannsóknum og er nú orðin ein sú sérhæfðasta á landinu á sviði þjóðaréttar og heimskautaréttar.

Til að fagna 20 ára afmæli sínu ákvað lagadeildin að halda afmælismálþing í mars 2023. Ákveðið var að leggja áherslu á að fá fyrirlesara úr hópi útskrifaðra stúdenta, bæði til að fræðast um hvert leiðir þeirra hafa legið eftir útskrift frá HA og hvernig námið undirbjó þau fyrir starfið. Jafnframt varð deildin þess heiðurs aðnjótandi að fá heimsókn frá forseta Íslands, Guðna Th. Jóhannessyni, sem hélt erindi um þjóðhöfðingjakaflann í stjórnarskránni. Í kjölfarið fylgdu fyrirlestrar um til að mynda stöðu þingmanna, réttindi brotaþola í refsivörslukerfinu, lagaumhverfi blaðamanna, bókun 35 við EES-samninginn, stöðu heimskautaréttar eftir innrás rússneskra stjórnvalda í Úkraínu, eignarétt frumbyggja á landi sínu út frá sjónarhóli umhverfisréttar og síðast en ekki síst um reynslu meistaranema við lagadeildina eins og hún er í dag.

Þátttakendur á 20 ára afmælismálþingi Lagadeildar Háskólans á Akureyri
Samfélagsleg áhrif laganáms á Akureyri

Dagskrá
Upptaka

Ásamt því að halda afmælismálþing ákvað deildin að fara í samstarf við tímaritið Nordicum-Mediterraneum og gefa út sérhefti tileinkað þessum fögnuði. Fyrsta greinin inniheldur persónulegar hugleiðingar þriggja þeirra sem gegndu lykilhlutverki í undirbúningi og upphafi þess að lagakennsla hófst við Háskólann á Akureyri. Guðmundur H. Frímannsson, prófessor emeritus, Mikael Karlsson, prófessor emeritus, og Rachael L. Johnstone, prófessor, fjalla um þá þrautagöngu sem leiddi til þess sem við búum nú við í dag. Fjórar greinar, þar sem beitt var tvíblindri ritrýni, fylgja þar á eftir. Júlí Ósk Antonsdóttir, aðjúnkt og landsréttarlögmaður, skrifar um réttindi forsjárlauss foreldris í þeim tilvikum er forsjárforeldri afsalar sér forsjá barnsins til barnaverndarþjónustu. Þá fjallar Rachael Lorna Johnstone, prófessor, um mikilvægi þjóðaréttar, og þess að beita alþjóðlegum nálgunum, þegar kemur að því að leysa heimskautaréttarlegan ágreining. Í kjölfarið á því rekur Sara Fusco, doktorsnemi, það hvernig umhverfisréttur er að hafa áhrif á nútíma stjórnarskrárhyggju og hvernig slíkt endurspeglast í rétti frumbyggja til landsvæðis. Fyrir rest greina Eleni Kontostathi, fyrrum heimskautaréttarnemi við HA, og Polina Ananina, fyrrum nemi við Higher School of Economics háskólann í Moskvu, frá því hvernig hlýnun jarðar er að hafa áhrif á norðurheimskautssvæðið og lagalegt umhverfi þess. Leggja höfundar sérstaka áherslu á að fjalla um áherslur rússneskra stjórnvalda á samstarf þeirra við kínversk stjórnvöld og möguleika þeirra á að byggja upp nýjar hafnir og innviði með því að nýta sér Norðursjávarleiðina. Að lokum ritaði Ragnheiður Elfa Þorsteinsdóttir, lektor, f.h. lagadeildarinnar, minningarorð um Ágúst Þór Árnason, fyrrum samstarfsfélaga og vin. Ágúst Þór átti stóran þátt í þróun laganáms við Háskóla á Akureyri auk þróunar í stjórnskipunarrétti og mannréttindum á Íslandi og skipar stóran sess í hjörtum margra sem hann þekktu. Er hans minnst með hlýhug.

Lagadeildin vill koma á framfæri þökkum til allra þeirra sem tóku þátt í að fagna afmæli deildarinnar á þessu ári. Það er okkar von að lagadeild HA haldi áfram að blómstra og vera leiðandi í kennslu og rannsóknum á hinum ýmsu sviðum lögfræðinnar á komandi árum.