The Wolf-Phoenix Accord

Foreword

In order to further harbor good relations and well being between our two great regions, we, the citizens of Lone Wolves United and Lazarus do agree to the following agreement:


Article I. The region of Lone Wolves United recognizes that the Phoenix government, the current government of Lazarus, is the one true and legitimate government of that region and as such will take every action necessary to ensure its continuous rule.

Article II. The region of Lone Wolves United pledges to support the above stated government in any defensive action that directly occurs as a result of attack on the region of Lazarus itself. Lone Wolves United also agrees to support the Lazarus armies in any military action outside of the region of Lazarus so long as the Lone Wolves United High Command deems it appropriate.

Article III. The Region of Lazarus recognizes that any region taken by Lone Wolves United is thus claimed as a territory of Lone Wolves United and will not take any action in such region with may displace Lone Wolves United military control.

Article IV: The Region of Lazarus agrees to participate with Lone Wolves United on military operations when called upon in a manner that the Security Minister and the King or Queen sees fit.

Article V: Both the Lazarus and Lone Wolves United military chain of command agree to make a good faith effort to share intelligence that is relevant to the other party. The relevant military officials shall have authority to veto such sharing, should they consider it to be a danger to regional security.

Article VI. The Region of Lazarus recognizes that Lone Wolves United is a raider region with a raider military and takes a stance of non-opposition and neutrality on that point.

Article VII. The Region of Lone Wolves United recognizes that, although Lazarus is neutral in nature, its army contains elements of a defender temperament and takes a stance of non-opposition and neutrality on that point.

Article VIII. Both regions agree to keep each other aware of relevant changes in the officers of their respective military forces.


-North Harmoneia, Queen of Lazarus
-Evil Wolf, Lone Wolves United, Commander-In-Chief on behalf of the Assembly of Wolves.

FORUM DEFENSE INITIATIVE OF 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I - Purpose
II - Definitions
III - Crimes of Forum Griefing and Forum Destruction
IV - Sentence for Forum Griefing or Forum Destructrion

Title I. Purpose.

It is the purpose of this Act to condemn the practices of Forum Griefing and Forum Destruction in all their forms and to contribute to the demise of said practices by setting a reasonable standard of responsibility and accountability for members of, and nations associated with, Lazarus.

Title II. Definitions.

A. “Forum Destruction” is the act of intentionally deleting threads or posts in the Forum, or assisting in such deletion, without the free, informed consent of the Forum’s administrators, moderators, and members/users. This includes the deletion of the entire Forum.

B. “Forum Griefing” is the act of usurping Forum administrator or moderator powers, without their free, informed consent, to eject members from the Forum or otherwise silence free expression. Acts that constitute Forum Griefing include, without limitation: deleting members’ accounts, deleting or altering posts, or placing someone’s posts in a preview queue.

Title III.Crimes of Forum Griefing and Forum Destruction.

A. Forum Griefing and Forum Destruction in Lazarus is tantamount to treason and merits impeachment through the procedure outlined in Mandate 5.0. Anyone found guilty by the Council of the Emerald City of such crimes shall be sentenced to the penalty stated in Title IV.

B. Nothing in this Act shall interfere with the authority of the Forum administrators and moderators to perform actions within the Forum’s Terms of Service. This includes routine maintenance, reasonable regulation of the behavior of Forum members, or other actions permitted by the Forum’s registered owner.

C. This Act shall not apply to any crime committed before the date of this Act’s enactment.

Title IV. Sentence for Forum Griefing or Forum Destruction.

Anyone found guilty of Forum Griefing or Forum Destruction by the Council of the Emerald City, shall be permanently banned from the Forum, whether they be found guilty within Lazarus or in any other forum in the world of NationStates.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus1...-t455.html

Preamble
Whereas, in a mutual and common effort to strengthen and consolidate the connection and allegiance between the two regions, The North Pacific and Lazarus, the regions have resolved that in order to promote and secure the essential interests of these sovereign regions, it would be advisable to form an accord with such terms and conditions as may be established by the respective legislative governments of both sovereign regions.

Terms:

1: It is hereby established that both regions fully maintain all sovereign rights.

2: Each region will place an embassy in the region of the other, in order to further communication between the two nations. The embassy will act as a voice of the allied region within the other, and will respect the laws of foreign soil. This will be done with due process and by request.

3. This agreement in no way obliges either party to act in either Military or Political nature.

5: The treaty may be reviewed and Terminated by the Governing Bodies of either Region at any time with appropriate legislative action, or immediately upon violation of this treaties terms and stipulations.

6. This Accord is between The North Pacific and Lazarus only and does not affect any current and/or future official diplomatic agreements, to be defined as "inter-regional relations involving a written treaty, non-aggression pact, or similar document", undertaken by either party to this agreement.

Final Term:
This Treaty shall be ratified by both sovereign regions in accordance with their respective legislative requirements. This treaty shall be considered active immediately after passage by both respective governments.

Signed:

Posul, Lazarus Foreign Minister
Namyeknom, TNP Acting Minister of External Affairs

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus1...-t747.html
It is hereby decreed that anyone found deserving of special recognition for service to Lazarus will be granted a special title of nobility and an exclusive signature icon. Titles will be bestowed at the discretion of the King/Queen and while it must be made clear that nobles will have no extra power or privileges, the decoration should be recognized as an achievement deserving of respect. If passed, all Lazarene citizens will become Barons/Baronesses. This is not to suggest that titles are reserved exclusively for Lazarenes. The order of rank will be as follows:

• Baron/Baroness
  
• Viscount/Viscountess
  
• Count/Countess
  
• Marquis/Marquise
  
• Duke/Duchess
  

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus1...t3614.html

Embassy Simplification Resolution
Authored: AoFE Aisli
January 1st, 2010

SEEING the differentiation between "embassy" and "consulate" is outdated and unimportant in the long term and that this tedious categorization harms Lazarus's ability to encourage foreign relations

RECOGNIZING the need to simplify the forum in its current less-than-active state

HEREBY all embassies and consulates already created and created in the future will be now known simply as "embassies", regardless of foreign treaties or alliances.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus_...y-t41.html
The XYZ Treaty

The signatories of this treaty have deemed it beneficial to each party to create this Treaty, which promotes greater cooperation, goodwill, and cultural synergy between large defender regions and/or their respective regional militaries.

Article I - [ Recognition and Security ]

1. The Parties recognise the governments of the other Parties, and any legal successor government thereto, as their legitimate governments.

2. The Parties shall maintain diplomatic relations with each other, including the establishment and maintenance of NationStates and forum embassies.

3. A Party may not engage in clandestine, espionage or other spying operations against any other Party; neither may it engage in any conduct threatening the sovereignty, security or political independence of any other Party.

4. Should the sovereignty, security or political independence of any of the Parties become threatened, the other Parties shall intervene militarily in order to maintain it. A request from a Party for intervention shall be treated as if there is an ongoing threat, and be complied with by the other Parties. A request from a Party to cease operations under this section shall also be honoured.

5. A Party is required to share any information pertinent to the security of another Party with it, unless the sharing of such information will threaten the security of any other Party.

Article II - [ Defending and War ]

1. The Parties share the overall goal of defending, the pattern of conduct designed to ensure the sovereignty of NationStates regions.

2. A Party may not engage in a hostile invasion of another region, unless a mutual state of war exists between that Party and such region.

3. The Parties agree to cooperate on military matters, in order to advance the goal of defending. The Parties are not obligated to assist in any specific deployment, unless otherwise required by this Treaty or the Protocol.

4. A binding Protocol shall be established between the militaries of the Parties in order to bring this Article into effect.

Article III - [ Cultural Synergy ]

1. It is the opinion of the Parties that interaction between their members through various avenues is beneficial to their relationship.

2. The Parties shall endeavour to conduct communal cultural activities, to the benefit of citizens of all Parties.

3. The appropriate governmental authorities of each Party shall cooperate to ensure the operation of this Article.

Article IV - [ Treaty Maintenance ]

1. This Treaty may be amended from time to time, as the need arises, with the approval of all Parties. A Party must follow its regional law regarding the amendment of treaties, and if none exists the amendment must be agreed to by the signing and ratifying organs.

2. A Party may be removed from this treaty with the unanimous agreement of the other Parties. Once an agreement is reached, the Party's removal is effective immediately.

3. This Treaty shall enter into force immediately upon its ratification by all signatories.

4. Following ratification, any region may be invited to accede to this Treaty, thereby becoming a Party thereto, with the agreement of all Parties at that time.

5. The governmental organs or officials whom may ratify this Treaty also retain the right to withdraw their respective region from it at any time. To achieve this, they must notify all the signatories of their intentions and adhere to their region's legal procedure for withdrawing the region from this Treaty and its obligations. All Parties are expected to express their concerns to the other Parties in advance, in order to seek out a solution before pursuing withdrawal.

Signatories: Lazarus, The Rejected Realms, Renegade Islands Alliance, Mordor

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus_...s-t40.html
Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between The South Pacific and Lazarus

Preamble

The parties to this treaty express their faith in the benefits of friendship and cooperation between their two regions. We believe that working together on matters tangible and intangible will add even more vitality to the lives of our regions. In the spirit of our shared history as Game-Created Regions, we affirm these beliefs by adopting the following principles.

Article I. Mutual Recognition of Government Legitimacy.

Section 1. The parties to this treaty recognize the government of each region, based upon its constitutions and laws, as legitimate, and will not extend that recognition to any government that comes to power through means not proscribed by law, which shall be determined by the legitimate government in question.

Section 2. Should the government of either party fundamentally change, but not violate the terms of the previous section, the parties may adopt a memorandum of understanding extending the provisions of this treaty to the new government.

Article II. Affirmation of Non-Aggression.

Section 1. The parties to this treaty reaffirm their pact of non-aggression.

Section 2. Both parties will refrain from engaging in any decisive and purposeful action that will undermine the regional security of either party.

Section 3. Both parties will refrain from conspiring, either directly or through a third party, to destabilize or overthrow the legitimate government of either party.

Section 4. Both parties will, in good faith, report any known threat or concern related to the other party's security, to the appropriate security organs.

Article III. Cooperation on Military Affairs.

Section 1. The parties to this treaty agree to work with each other, from time to time and as circumstances permit, on mutually beneficial military operations, including training missions and confidence-building measures.

Section 2. Both parties agree that diplomatic and political concerns may prevent military cooperation, and will not consider the rejection of cooperation as hostile posturing.

Section 3. Both parties agree to keep classified any information regarding military affairs, and only publish that information in a manner mutually agreed upon.

Section 4. Both parties agree to share intelligence as circumstances permit.

Article IV. Mutual Defense.

Section 1. The parties to this treaty may seek assistance for their self-defense by lodging an official request with the appropriate officials.

Section 2. Both parties acknowledge that this treaty does not establish, nor prohibit, a collective security arrangement, but rather mutual defense will be conducted on an as-requested and as-approved basis.

Section 3. Both parties agree to assist each other in responding to an internal coup d'etat, unless relieved of duty by mutual agreement.

Section 4. Both parties agree that the provisions of mutual defense do not extend to defense against attacks provoked by hostile activity on part of the requesting party.

Article V. Exchange of Cultural Values.

The parties to this treaty believe that cultural ties help solidify political ties, and as such agree to hold cultural exchanges from time to time, to strengthen the institutions of peace and liberty.

Article VI. Exchange of Embassies.

Section 1. The parties to this treaty agree to establish permanent embassies on their respective community forums, which shall be open until such a time that either party requests their embassy to be closed.

Section 2. Both parties agree that embassies may accommodate private discussions, but shall not be the sole means of official communication.

Section 3. The ministers of foreign affairs for both parties will strive to regularly communicate about the implementation of this treaty.

Article VII. Peaceful Settlement of Disputes.

The parties to this treaty undertake to settle any and all disputes between them through peaceful means, in such a way that friendship and cooperation between them are not harmed, and to refrain from using the threat of force or sanction while this treaty is in force.

Article VIII. Deposit and Clarification of Terms.

Section 1. This treaty shall be deposited in a publicly accessible area of the community forums of both parties.

Section 2. The parties to this treaty may, from time to time, clarify the terms of this treaty through memorandums of understanding, which shall be posted alongside the treaty.

Article IX. Suspension of Terms and Termination of the Treaty.

Section 1. Either party may suspend the terms of the treaty, if the other party has materially breached its terms, until such a time that both parties peacefully settle the dispute and adopt a memorandum of understanding that the treaty is again in force.

Section 2. Either party may terminate the treaty with five days notice, posted publicly in the forum of deposit in both regions, after which the terms of treaty are no longer binding on either party.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus_...n-t38.html
Coalition Against the Ideology of Nazism (CAIN)

We, the undersigned governments; mindful of the impact Nazism has on the community we all share, devoted to combating scientific racism, appalled by the glorification of Nazi Germany, determined to overcome gameplay differences, and committed to making the NationStates community more accessible; do hereby establish and join the Coalition Against the Ideology of Nazism, herein referred to as "CAIN", and agree to recognize and adhere to this Treaty and the commitments set forth within.

1. Definitions

Nazism: The ideology and practice associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party and Nazi state, as well as other far-right groups. In the context of NationStates, it is an ideology that glorifies National Socialism or Nazi Germany and/or actively practices Nazi beliefs such as antisemitism, pseudo-scientific racism, racial hygiene, slaughter for living space, genocide, eugenics, persecution of LGBT, etc.

Nazi Region: A region recognized by CAIN as a region that practices, or has practiced, Nazism.

Nazi Collaborator: A region recognized by CAIN as a region that assists in furthering the agenda of, and/or shares core beliefs with, Nazism and/or Nazi Regions.

Signatories: The regions and organizations that sign this treaty.

On-Site Embassy: An embassy created through NationStates.

Off-Site Embassy: An embassy created on the off-site forum of a signatory region.

Inter-regional Agreement: Any Treaty, Accord, Pact, or Agreement with another region recognized by a signatory's government as legally binding.

Military Assistance: In the context of NationStates, military assistance shall be described as participation in raiding, defending, assisting in delegate transfers, or any other military action that benefits another region.

2. Membership Administration

(a) Signatories shall not maintain off-site or on-site embassies with Nazi Regions.

(b) Signatories shall not enter into inter-regional agreements with Nazi Regions.

© In order to be recognized as a signatory, regions must ratify this treaty in concordance with their internal laws. Once ratified, regions must send a legal representative to signify their acceptance of this treaty within the sub-forum of the Europeian off-site forum where the original treaty will be maintained for all signatories.

(d) Any signatory may nominate a region that meets the definition, as described by this Treaty, to be a Nazi Region. Such nominations must be approved by a vote of two-thirds of signatories before being officially designated as such by CAIN.

(e) Any signatory may nominate a region that aids in spreading the beliefs of Nazism to be considered a Nazi Collaborator. Such nominations must be approved by a vote of two-thirds of signatories before being officially designated as such by CAIN.

(f) Any region may be removed from the officially designated list of Nazi Regions by a vote of three-fourths of signatories.

(g) Any region which voluntarily participates in a military operation alongside, or possesses an on-site embassy with, a Nazi Region shall be officially designated as Nazi Collaborators.

(h) Any region officially designated as a Nazi Collaborator shall be subjected to the same clauses as Nazi Regions with the exception of Section 2(g).

(i) Europeia shall maintain a list of all officially designated Nazi Regions alongside the original CAIN treaty.

(j) No region designated as a Nazi Region may join CAIN as a signatory.

(k) Any signatory may be removed as a signatory by a vote of three-fourths of remaining signatories.

(l) The highest executive authority of a signatory region, or an internally selected representative, will be recognized as that signatory's voting member for the votes mentioned in this treaty.

(m) All votes mentioned in this treaty shall be announced one week in advance of the voting process, and shall last five days.

(n) In order for the voting process to take place, a simple majority of signatories must indicate their presence. Any signatory which is not present during the voting process will have their vote counted as an abstention.

(o) The votes mentioned in this treaty shall take place on the off-site forum of Europeia in a sub-forum contained next to the original treaty. This sub-forum will be restricted to legal representatives of signatories.

3. Functions

(a) Signatories shall not provide military assistance to any region officially designated as a Nazi Region.

(b) Signatories shall append a document to the treaty, which may be amended by a motion supported by a majority of signatories. Within this document will be listed a number of Standardized Responses which signatories are encouraged but not required to use in the intended circumstances.

© The circumstances for which a standardized response shall be listed will include, but not be limited to, the following:
(i) A Nazi Region acting militarily against a signatory,
(ii) A Nazi Region participating within a military operation of a non-Nazi Region, and
(iii) A Signatory acting militarily against a Nazi Region.

(d) Signatories commit to working together, when consistent with internal policy, to oppose Nazi Regions through military means. This commitment includes, but is not limited to:
(i) Invading Nazi holdings,
(ii) Liberating regions raided by Nazi Regions, and
(iii) Defending against raids involving Nazi Regions.

(e) Signatories commit to working together, when consistent with internal policy, to oppose Nazi Regions through Security Council means. This commitment includes, but is not limited to:
(i) Opposing commendation proposals of Nazi regions and players,
(ii) Cooperation on condemnation proposals of Nazi regions and players,
(iii) Supporting defensive liberation proposals for regions raided by Nazis, and
(iv) Supporting offensive liberation proposals against Nazi Regions.

(f) The signatories of this treaty shall maintain a thread on the Gameplay section of the NationStates forums in which standardized responses shall be posted. For the sake of transparency, the original treaty shall serve as the first post in this thread.

4. General Provisions

(a) Signatories recognize that signing this treaty does not make them allies of the other signatories.

(b) Signatories recognize that signing this treaty does not signify political, diplomatic, or gameplay agreement with their fellow signatories except on the subject of Nazism and Nazi Regions.

© This treaty is considered legally binding upon a signatory's completion of the requirements described in Section 2©.

(d) Should a region wish to resign as a signatory of CAIN, they may do so by going through the process of repealing this treaty in concordance with their internal laws and disseminating a public notice of its repeal. Such notices must be released in a way that reaches a majority of signatories.

(e) Any region wishing to join as a signatory of CAIN after the initial conference on this treaty may do so by receiving sponsorship from two signatories. Sponsored regions will then be voted on by all signatories. Should they receive a simple majority of the vote, regions must complete the requirements described elsewhere in this treaty.

(f) This treaty may be amended by a vote of three-fourths of signatories. Such amendments must then be ratified by the signatories before being considered binding. Amendments will be announced in the CAIN Gameplay thread, after which signatories have two weeks to decide whether they wish to ratify the amendment or not. If no progress has been made on the ratification process after those two weeks the region will no longer be considered a signatory.

(g) Any signatory may opt-out of ratifying amendments to CAIN. After doing so, they will no longer be considered a signatory.

(h) Any signatory which misses two votes consecutively will have their signatory status suspended until such time that they request to be returned to active status. During this suspension, they will not be counted as a signatory for clauses mentioned in this treaty.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus_...s-t37.html
The Bethany Accords
A treaty of friendship between Taijitu and Lazarus

Preamble

The sovereign regions of Taijitu and Lazarus, as governed democratically by the open legislatures of the respective regions, are independent and sovereign. The two regions share citizens, political and military interests, and directly-democratic forms of government. Recognizing these similarities, as well as the friendship between the two regions’ peoples, they hereby enact the following treaty of amity and friendship.

Article One
1. The parties agree to maintain a mutual embassy relationship, onsite and offsite.
2. The parties agree to penalize willful violation of the other party’s rules for RMB posts on that party’s RMB, should the other party allow embassy RMB posts.
3. From time to time, the parties will organize cultural events on the regional offsite forums or RMB of one or the other party.

Article Two
1. If the sovereignty of a party’s legitimate government is threatened, the other party will assist proportionately in coordination with and by the consent of the threatened party.
2. Military activity in another region does not constitute extension of the region’s sovereignty.
3. The parties will collaborate militarily on request when their forces are not otherwise needed.
4. Cooperation may only be requested for operations consistent with Article Two, other agreements entered into by the requested party, and the requested party’s regional law.

Article Three
1. Any violation of this treaty is grounds for immediate termination
2. Either party may withdraw from the treaty with seven days’ notice.

Article Four
1. This treaty may be amended by mutual consent, through the normal ratification processes of the two parties.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/lazarus_...e-t35.html
Unified Legal Code of The Celestial Union of Lazarus

Preamble; The Unified Legal Code of The Celestial Union of Lazarus constitutes the collected Judicial, Criminal, Civil and Penal Codes of the Celestial Union of Lazarus. Taken together these documents dictate the operation of the judicial process of The Celestial Union of Lazarus.

The Judicial Code is the procedural document identifying how Criminal, Civil and Legal matters are to be conducted. All such matters are handled publicly via a non-adversarial Judicial Inquiry. The purpose of a Judicial Inquiry is to establish the facts of the matter where allegations of criminal or civil wrongdoing have been lodged, or where a legal question on the constitutionality of laws, treaties, and government policies is presented. The Judicial Code also outlines the internal procedures of the Celestial Inquisitorial Court, codifying the powers and responsibilities of The Holy Prelate, who as the chief administrative officer of the Court is responsible for the direction of Judicial Inquires, the moderation of conduct within the Court and the administration of the Court.

The Criminal Code identifies and defines all criminal offences within The Celestial Union of Lazarus. A criminal offence constitutes a crime against the state, and a criminal inquiry can be initiated by any citizen.

The Civil Code identifies and defines all civil offences within The Celestial Union of Lazarus. A civil offence constitutes a crime against an individual, and a civil inquiry can only be initiated by the injured party.

The Penal Code identifies and defines all punishments that may be assigned by the Court to those found guilty of a Criminal or Civil offence by a judicial inquiry.

Judicial Code of The Celestial Union of Lazarus

Article I – Composition of the Court

(1) The Court must consist at all times of a minimum three Prelates, and a maximum of five Prelates. Should the number of Prelates fall below the minimum number at any time the Sovereign must nominate replacements within seven days; should the Sovereign fail to do so then the Convenor will open nominations to the floor of the Cosmic Council.
(2) The Cosmic Council shall conduct a confidence vote for the Prelates every three months, immediately after the conclusion of the regularly scheduled elections. Any Prelate who does not receive the confidence of a majority shall be recalled.
(3) The Holy Prelate is elected by a private ballot of the Celestial Inquisitorial Court requiring clear majority support. Any Prelate may initiate an election for a Holy Prelate; in the absence of a Holy Prelate an election must occur.
(4) The Holy Prelate acts as the chief administrative officer of the court, and is responsible for the management of all judicial matters; this includes the maintenance of an archive of legal decisions for reference purposes, moderation of conduct within the court and the direction of Judicial Inquires.

Article II - Judicial Inquiries

(1) All Criminal, Civil and Legal matters will be dealt with via Judicial Inquiry.
(2) All Judicial Inquiries will be conducted by a tribunal consisting of the Holy Prelate and two Associate Prelates.
(3) The purpose of a Judicial Inquiry is always to establish the facts of the matter, and then resolve the issue. All Judicial Inquiries will be conducted publicly via a non-adversarial hearing.
(4) All Judicial Inquiries will run for a minimum of seven days, and may be extended beyond this at the discretion of the Holy Prelate.

Article III - Criminal Inquiries

(1) A Criminal Inquiry may be initiated by any citizen presenting an allegation of criminal wrongdoing to the Holy Prelate.
(2) This allegation must be supported by sufficient preliminary evidence to justify an inquiry; the Holy Prelate will determine this at their discretion.
(3) Should the Holy Prelate choose to conduct an inquiry, they shall immediately contact the individual or individuals accused of criminal wrongdoing by PM or TG to inform them of such.
(4) During the inquiry the Holy Prelate will conduct an investigation into the matter, seeking to establish the facts. Any interested party may make evidentiary submissions, with the citizen presenting the allegations and the accused both encouraged to do so.
(5) Once the investigation concludes the Prelates will privately discuss the matter, and issue a ruling resolving the issue by majority decision.
(6) Such rulings will consist of a summary of events based upon the presented evidence, which will constitute the factual account of the matter, and a decision of guilt or innocence. If the accused is determined to be guilty a sentence will also be issued.
(7) Rulings and sentences will take effect 72 hours later, if not appealed.

Article IV - Civil Inquiries

(1) A Civil Inquiry may be initiated by the injured party presenting an allegation of civil wrongdoing to the Holy Prelate.
(2) This allegation must be supported by sufficient preliminary evidence to justify an inquiry; the Holy Prelate will determine this at their discretion.
(3) Should the Holy Prelate choose to conduct an inquiry, they shall immediately contact the individual or individuals accused of civil wrongdoing by PM or TG to inform them of such.
(4) During the inquiry the Holy Prelate will conduct an investigation into the matter, seeking to establish the facts. Any interested party may make evidentiary submissions, with the citizen presenting the allegations and the accused both encouraged to do so.
(5) Once the investigation concludes the Prelates will privately discuss the matter, and issue a ruling resolving the issue by majority decision.
(6) Such rulings will consist of a summary of events based upon the presented evidence, which will constitute the factual account of the matter, and a decision of guilt or innocence. If the accused is determined to be guilty a sentence will also be issued.
(7) Rulings and sentences will take effect 72 hours later, if not appealed.

Article V - Legal Inquiries

(1) A Legal Inquiry may initiated by any citizen submitting a query of the constitutionality of a law, treaty or government policy.
(2) This query must be accompanied by a legal argument to justify an inquiry; the Holy Prelate will determine this at their discretion.
(3) During the inquiry the Holy Prelate will conduct an investigation into the matter, seeking to establish the facts. Any interested party may submit an amicus brief, presenting a legal argument to help guide the investigation and assist the Prelates in reaching a decision.
(4) Once the investigation concludes the Prelates will privately discuss the matter, and issue a ruling resolving the issue by majority decision.
(5) Such rulings will consist of a decision as to the constitutionality of the law, treaty or government policy in question, with recommended action for the Cosmic Council if needed, and the initiation of a Criminal Inquiry should illegal activity be determined to have occurred.
(6) Rulings will take effect 72 hours later, if not appealed.

Article VI - Appeals

(1) Any interested party may appeal the ruling of a Judicial Inquiry in the first 72 hours after it concludes.
(2) Appeals must be based upon one of two arguments; legal error or factual error.
(3) Arguments of legal error must identify a specific area of the ruling where the Prelates made an error in the application of the law.
(4) Arguments of factual error must identify a specific area of the ruling where the Prelates made an error in regards to the facts of the matter.
(5) The Prelates will consider their ruling in light of the appeal, and then issue a final ruling. This ruling may not be appealed.

Criminal Code of The Celestial Union of Lazarus


Article 1: In-game Offences

Section 1.1: Treason

(1) Treason shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Any Citizen who wages, attempts to wage, incites others to wage, or attempts to incite others to wage war against the State of Lazarus.
Soliciting for endorsements with the intention of exceeding the endorsement cap.
Failure to heed an official warning to reduce one's endorsement count after being sent one for exceeding the endorsement cap.
Violating a World's or Core World's fundamental rights as defined in the Celestial Mandate Act (Article 3, Section 3.)

(2) High Treason shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Attempting to lower the sitting Sovereign's endorsement count without the approval of the Cosmic Council.
Acting, alone or with others, to change the lawfully elected government of Lazarus as recognized by the Cosmic Council, by any means other than participation in a scheduled election and the discussions and campaigning preceding said election.
Violating a World's or Core World's fundamental rights as defined in The Celestial Mandate Act (Article 3, Section 3) while holding any position in Lazarus that requires confirmation or election by The Cosmic Council.[3]

Section 1.2: Espionage

(1) Espionage shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Gathering private government material with the intention of using or distributing them to any entities not sanctioned by the relevant government body responsible for the material or the Court.
Distributing sensitive government or military information to a foreign entity that may be used against the Celestial Union of Lazarus or the Lazarene Celestial Armada.

Section 1.3: Fraud

(1) Fraud shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Deliberately deceiving the residents of Lazarus for the sake of an unfair or undeserved gain or to damage an individual or entity.
Deliberate omission of information with the intention of deceiving the residents of Lazarus.
Knowingly abetting an individual to commit an act of fraud.

(2) Electoral Fraud shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Manipulating the electoral process of Lazarus through conspiracy with an organised group of abettors to obtain citizenship in order to influence a vote for personal gain or for the gain of a foreign entity.
Deliberately deceiving members of the Cosmic Council in order for them to not receive accurate information about votes, with the intention of influencing the outcome of a vote through the non-vote of members who have been deceived into doing so.

Section 1.4: Perjury

(1) Perjury shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Testifying falsely to the Court intentionally, through the false assertion of the truth of statements which are material to the outcome of the proceeding.

Section 1.5: Vexatious Litigation

(1) Vexatious litigation shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Filing unmeritable, frivolous, repetitive, and/or burdensome accusations of crimes to the Court that constitute an abuse of the judicial process.

Section 1.6: Conspiracy

(1) Conspiracy shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Attempting to carry out any of the offences as listed in the Unified Legal Code.
Abetting another person to attempt carrying out any of the offences as listed in the Unified Legal Code.


Article 2: Offences out-of-game

Section 2.1: Forum-side Offences

(1) Forum destruction shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Abusing administrative powers to on a forum to cause a substantial loss of information not easily recoverable.

(2) Inappropriate spamming shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Pornspamming or gorespamming on the forums.

(3) Phishing shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Attempting to acquire sensitive information such as email accounts and passwords, or gain access to off-site controls, by masquerading as a different person or entity.

Section 2.2: Spamming

(1) Spamming shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Intentionally posting the same message repeatedly in a relatively short period of time outside of a designated spam sub-forum.
Intentionally posting the same message repeatedly despite being warned not to.
Repeatedly posting the same message for the purpose of annoying others.

(2) Adspamming shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Posting messages on the RMB or on the forums to advertise for a foreign entity repeatedly within an unreasonably short period of time.
Posting recruitment messages on the RMB or on the forums with the intention of annoying others.

Section 2.3: Theft

(1) Theft shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Accessing another person's forum account, without the approval of the person whose forum account is used.
Using another person's nation, without the approval of the person whose nation was used.

Section 2.4: Illegal sharing

(1) One shall be said to have committed the act of illegal sharing of forum accounts when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Allowing a person banned from the forums to use one's forum account, with the awareness that the other person is banned from accessing the forums.

(2) One shall be said to have committed the act of illegal sharing of nations when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Allowing a person banned from the region to use one's nation, with the awareness that the other person is banned from the region.


Article 3: Absolute Offences

Section 3.1: Legal Violations

(1) Legal violation shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Violating Real World laws that are considered serious crimes.
Violating Real World laws that may endanger the safety of others e.g. hacking.


Section 3.2: NationStates Violations

(1) NationStates violations shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Being declared Delete-on-Sight.



2) The Civil Code


Civil Code of The Celestial Union of Lazarus


Article 1: Harassment

(1) Harassment shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Making unwelcome jokes or remarks about another person relating to the following: race, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, ancestry, record of offence. This list is not exhaustive.
Threatening or intimidating another person in an aggressive manner, with the intention of making the other person feel distress, discomfort, or fear.
Annoying or bothering another person repeatedly despite being told to cease doing so.

(2) Repeated Harassment shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Continues to commit the offence of Harassment despite being charged with Harassment, with Harassment being defined by Clause 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Code.

Article 2: Flaming and Trolling

(1) Flaming shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Repeatedly posting or sending offensive, off topic, messages with the intention to insult another person, to invoke emotions and responses such as rage, sadness, humiliation, and self-doubt.

(2) Trolling shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Deliberately and repeatedly making off topic comments with the intention to derail or detract from a thread or discussion.

Article 3: Impersonation

(1) Impersonation shall be said to be committed when one fulfils any of the following conditions:
Making use of details mainly used to identify a different person/entity to pass oneself off as that person or entity.


3) The Penal Code


Penal Code of The Celestial Union of Lazarus


Article 1: Preliminary

Section 1.1: Title and Effective Date

(1) This Act shall be called the Penal Code and may be cited as P.C. It shall become effective on the date of its adoption.

(2) Except as provided in Subsection (3) of this Section, the Code does not apply to offenses committed prior to its effective date and prosecutions for such offenses shall be based on the prior law, that is the PRL Penal Code, which will be assumed to be still in used, as if this Code was not in force. For the purposes of this Section, an offense is considered to be committed prior to the effective date of this Code if any one of its elements took place before the effective date of this code.

(3) In any case pending on or after the effective date of the Code, involving an offense committed prior to such date:
procedural provisions of the Code shall govern, insofar as they are justly applicable and their application does not introduce confusion or delay;
the Court, with the consent of the defendant, may impose sentence under the provisions of the Code applicable to the offense and the offender.

Section 1.2: Amendments
(1) Amendments may be made to this Code by only the Cosmic Council with a simple majority.
(2) Should an offense be committed prior to the passage of an amendment that could affect whether the offender is guilty or the severity and/or magnitude of the punishments, the offender shall be prosecuted for the affected offense based on the Code directly prior to the passage of the amendment.

Section 1.3: Punishments

(1) The classes of punishments to which offenders are liable under the provisions of this Code are (with increasing severity):
Forum punishment
Warning
Temporary Forum ban
Permanent forum ban

In-game punishment
Suppression of RMB posts
Ejecting
Temporary in-game ban
Permanent in-game ban

(2) A Suppression is defined to be the use of the in-game mechanisms to hide the offending RMB posts. A Suppression may constitute the suppression of several RMB posts.

(3) A Warning is defined as the use of the Warn System as provided on the Regional Forum. A Warning may constitute the increment of several warning levels.

(4) An Ejection is defined to be the use of the in-game mechanisms to remove a nation from Lazarus, but who may return to Lazarus any time the player wishes.

(5) A temporary forum ban is defined to be the use of administrative tools made available on the Regional Forums to deny a player access to the Forums for a period of time. Said player's access to the Regional Forums is to be restored upon the completion of the sentence.

(6) A temporary in-game ban is defined to be the use of the in-game mechanisms to remove a nation from Lazarus, but who is not allowed by the game to return to the region for a period of time. Said nation is to be allowed to return to Lazarus upon the completion of the sentence.

(7) A permanent forum ban is defined to be the use of administrative tools made available on the Regional Forums to deny a player access to the Forums permanently. Said player's access to the Regional Forums will be denied even if the Regional Forums have been changed, for as long as this Penal Code remains in effect or as the Celestial Union of Lazarus remains the official government of the in-game entity of Lazarus, up to the discretion of the Cosmic Council.

(8) A permanent in-game ban is defined to be the use of the in-game mechanisms to remove a nation from Lazarus, but who is not allowed by the game to return to the region permanently. Said nation is not to be allowed to return to Lazarus for as long as this Penal Code remains in effect or as the Celestial Union of Lazarus remains the official government of the in-game entity of Lazarus, up to the discretion of the Cosmic Council.

(9) Should the offender have a history of committing the same offense, the punishment meted out is to be of a greater severity of the same type of punishment if possible and if necessary. Should this be not possible, the punishment meted out may be upgraded to a more severe type of punishment under the same class, as specified under the recommended punishment for each offense.

Section 1.4: Order of Punishments for Multiple Offenses

(1) When the same conduct of the defendant be convicted of multiple offenses, the order in which the punishments are to be meted out is:
The punishment for the offense with the highest tier is carried out first, followed by the punishment for the offense with the next highest tier, and so on until the punishment for the offense with the lowest tier is meted out.
Should the offender be convicted of multiple offenses within a tier, the most severe punishment within the tier as defined in Clause 1 of Section 1.2 of Article 1 of the Penal Code is to be meted out. Upon the completion of the sentence, the next most severe punishment within the tier is meted out, and so on until the least severe punishment within the tier is meted out.
An offender may serve both an in-game punishment and a forum punishment at the same time.
Should the most severe forum punishment meted out to an offender be a permanent forum ban, the permanent forum ban is to be served, with all other forum punishments rescinded.
Should the most severe in-game punishment meted out to an offender be a permanent in-game ban, the permanent in-game ban is to be served, with all other in-game punishments rescinded.


Article 2: Tier I Offenses

(1) The following offenses have been designated as Tier I offenses:
Treason as defined by Clause 1 of Section 1.1 of the Criminal Code
Vexatious Litigation as defined by Section 1.5 of the Criminal Code
Spamming as defined by Clause 1 of Section 2.2 of the Criminal Code
Adspamming as defined by Clause 2 of Section 2.2 of the Criminal Code
Harassment as defined by point 1 of Clause 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Code
Flaming and Trolling as defined by Article 2 of the Civil Code
(2) The recommended punishments for the above offenses are as follows:
A temporary forum ban and temporary in-game ban for the duration of the war if convicted of Treason, should it be fulfilled on the basis of point 1 of Clause 1 of Section 1.1 of the Criminal Code, unless:
Said offender is no longer a high-level member of the enemy entity
Said offender demonstrates a high level of willingness to end the war
Said offender renounced membership of the enemy entity
Should one of these conditions be fulfilled, the punishment may be terminated.
A temporary in-game ban for a duration of between 12 hours and 3 days if convicted of Treason, should it be fulfilled on the basis of points 2 or 3 of Clause 1 of Section 1.1 of the Criminal Code, unless:
Said offender is no longer a member of the World Assembly
Should this condition be fulfilled, the punishment may be terminated. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of an in-game ban of 3 days, the offender shall serve an in-game ban of 10 days more for the current offense than the punishment for the previous commitment of this offense. Should the duration of the in-game ban be in excess of 60 days, a permanent in-game ban is recommended.
A warning with the increment of 1 warning level if convicted of Vexatious Litigation. However, if the offender is unable to receive the full increment of warning levels, a temporary forum ban of between 3 days and 1 week is recommended.
A warning with the increment of between 1 and 2 warning levels or the suppression of the offending RMB posts if convicted of Spamming. However, if the offender is unable to receive the full increment of warning levels, a temporary forum ban of between 3 days and 1 week is recommended.
A temporary in-game ban for the duration of between 12 hours and 1 week and the suppression of the offending RMB posts if convicted of Adspamming.
A warning with the increment of 2 warning levels if convicted of Harassment, should it be fulfilled on the basis of point 1 of Clause 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Code. However, if the offender is unable to receive the full increment of warning levels, a temporary forum ban of between 1 week and 30 days is recommended.
A warning with the increment of 2 warning levels if convicted of Flaming and Trolling. However, if the offender is unable to receive the full increment of warning levels, a temporary forum ban of between 3 days and 1 week is recommended.


Article 3: Tier II Offenses

(1) The following offenses have been designated as Tier II offenses:
High Treason as defined by Clause 2 of Section 1.1 of the Criminal Code
Espionage as defined by Section 1.2 of the Criminal Code
Fraud as defined by Clause 1 of Section 1.3 of the Criminal Code
Electoral Fraud as defined by Clause 2 of Section 1.3 of the Criminal Code
Perjury as defined by Section 1.4 of the Criminal Code
Harassment as defined by points 2 and 3 of Clause 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Code
Impersonation as defined by Article 3 of the Civil Code

(2) The recommended punishments for the above offenses are as follows:
A temporary in-game ban for a duration of between 3 days and 30 days if convicted of High Treason, should it be fulfilled on the basis of point 1 of Clause 2 of Section 1.1 of the Criminal Code. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of an in-game ban of 30 days, the offender shall serve an in-game ban of 30 days more for the current offense than the punishment for the previous commitment of this offense. Should the duration of the in-game ban be in excess of 90 days, a permanent in-game ban is recommended.
A temporary in-game ban for a duration of between 60 days and 365 days if convicted of Treason, should it be fulfilled on the basis of point 3 of Clause 2 of Section 1.1 of the Criminal Code. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of an in-game ban of 365 days, a permanent in-game ban is recommended.
A temporary forum ban of between 7 days and 60 days if convicted of Espionage. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of a forum ban of 60 days, the offender shall serve a forum ban of 30 days more for the current offense than the punishment for the previous commitment of this offense. Should the duration of the forum ban be in excess of 120 days, a permanent forum ban is recommended.
A temporary forum ban and temporary in-game ban for a duration of between 60 days and 120 days if convicted of Fraud, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Clause 1 of Section 1.3 of the Criminal Code, with both bans lasting the same duration. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of a forum ban and in-game ban of 120 days, the offender shall serve a forum ban and in-game ban of 30 days more for the current offense than the punishments for the previous commitment of this offense. Should the duration of both bans each be in excess of 180 days, a permanent forum ban and in-game ban is recommended.
A warning with the increment of 2 warning levels if convicted of Perjury, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Section 1.4 of Clause 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Code. However, if the offender is unable to receive the full increment of warning levels, a temporary forum ban of between 1 week and 30 days is recommended.
A temporary forum ban for a duration of between 30 days and 120 days if convicted of Harassment, should it be fulfilled on the basis of points 2 and 3 of Clause 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Code.
A temporary forum ban and in-game ban for a duration of between 14 days and 60 days if convicted of Impersonation, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Article 3 of the Civil Code, with both bans lasting the same duration. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of a forum ban and in-game ban of 60 days, the offender shall serve a forum ban and in-game ban of 30 days more for the current offense than the punishments for the previous commitment of this offense. Should the duration of both bans each be in excess of 120 days, a permanent forum ban and in-game ban is recommended.


Article 4: Tier III Offenses

(1) The following offenses have been designated as Tier II offenses:
Forum Destruction as defined by Clause 1 of Section 2.1 of the Criminal Code
Inappropriate Spamming as defined by Clause 2 of Section 2.1 of the Criminal Code
Phishing as defined by Clause 3 of Section 2.1 of the Criminal Code
Theft of Nation as defined by point 1 of Clause 1 of Section 2.3 of the Criminal Code
Theft of Account as defined by point 2 of Clause 1 of Section 2.3 of the Criminal Code
Illegal Sharing as defined by Section 2.4 of the Criminal Code
Legal Violations as defined by Section 3.1 of the Criminal Code
NationStates Violations as defined by Section 3.2 of the Criminal Code
Repeated Harassment as defined by Clause 2 of Article 1 of the Civil Code

(2) The recommended punishments for the above offenses are as follows:
A permanent forum ban if convicted of Forum Destruction, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Clause 1 of Section 2.1 of the Criminal Code.
A temporary forum ban for a duration of between 90 days and 120 days if convicted of Inappropriate Spamming, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Clause 2 of Section 2.1 of the Criminal Code. However, if the offender has previously served the maximum punishment for the offense of 120 days, a permanent forum ban is recommended.
A permanent forum ban and in-game ban if convicted of Phishing, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Clause 3 of Section 2.1 of the Criminal Code.
A permanent in-game ban if convicted of Theft of Nation, should it be fulfilled on the basis of point 1 of Clause 1 of Section 2.3 of the Criminal Code.
A permanent forum ban if convicted of Theft of Account, should it be fulfilled on the basis of point 2 of Clause 1 of Section 2.3 of the Criminal Code.
The same severity of punishments as the one received by the person whom the account/nation was shared with, with the punishment concluding upon the conclusion of the punishment received by the person whom the account/nation was shared with, if convicted of Illegal Sharing, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Section 2.4 of the Criminal Code, unless:
Said offender has proven sufficiently to be unaware that the person whom the account/nation was shared with was serving a ban at the time of the offense.
Should this condition be fulfilled, the punishment may be terminated.
A permanent forum ban and in-game ban if convicted of Legal Violations, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Section 3.1 of the Criminal Code.
A permanent forum ban if convicted of NationStates Violations, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Section 3.2 of the Criminal Code.
A permanent forum ban if convicted of Repeated Harassment, should it be fulfilled on the basis of Clause 2 of Article 1 of the Civil Code.