THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS QUESTIONNAIRE

Answers for the Martian Association of Free Colonies

(Thanks to Richard Hands for this bit)

The first thing to bear in mind is that the degree of devolved authority in the MAFC means that most of these restrictions and regulations must have the words 'subject to local variations' added to them.

The other thing to bear in mind is that these describe normal peacetime activity. The MAFC also recognises two other states: a State of Emergency (which can be declared by the competent authorities for planetary regions, entire planets, and even in extreme cases for entire regions) and a State of War. These two states increase the power of authorities, as will be discussed at the end of this text.

Currently a State of Emergency exists on all Martian worlds in Quadrants 5, 6 and 7.

Q1. Freedom of Movement:

To what extent can any member of your population move to any part of a planet, or any planet in the colonial quadrant; without reference to any form of authority (i.e. Customs, Police, or other authorities)?

1. Generally, subject to local variations, movement around a planet is unrestricted except into/out of militarily sensitive areas. Movement between planets is subject to inspection of identity cards and of luggage/cargo. This also applies to any visiting foreign nationals. As a rule the MAFC does not have any visa requirements, but some worlds or regions may require additional checks upon entry - eg, police checks, proof of financial assets or of ability to leave planet (return ticket etc).

Q2. Freedom of Action:

Are there any portions of your population precluded from particular jobs or activities? (Apart from those genetically unsuited to a task, obviously)

2. Generally only the military place stringent conditions upon entry, although some worlds place restrictions (eg birth on-planet) upon candidates for political office. Those convicted of certain crimes are often denied access to positions of eg financial or social responsibility.

Q3. Freedom of Expression:

If an individual or group were extremely critical of your Government's actions or policies, to the extent that it might affect the popularity of the government, what steps would you take?

3. Martian politics tends to be personal rather than party political. However: see here

There is a tradition of 'robust' political debate and often quite unpleasant personal abuse, but this is accepted as a hazard of public office. The only restrictions on freedom of expression are where laws are contravened via violent or other criminal behaviour, although there are also regulations against defacing symbols of the Association, eg burning the flag.

Q4. Freedom of the Media:

To what degree could you prevent the publication or transmission of information to the general public that you regard detrimental either to your government, or the welfare of the people?

4. Local media tend to be unregulated and sections are noted for their individualistic nature and/or vicious political satire. Interstellar media are mostly state funded and while they maintain a tradition of impartial reporting, they are usually willing to exercise 'restraint' where sensitive political issues are concerned.

Q5. Direct Control of Media:

Are there any parts of the media that you have no direct editorial control over?

5. See above.

Q6. Severity of Punishment.

What punishment is normal for:

a. Mass murderers?

b. Rapists?

c. Great Train Robbers?

d. Traitors?

e. Petty theft?

f. Common assault?

g. Indecent exposure?

h. Illegal parking?

i. Illegal Drug abuse?

6. There are three basic punishments: Restitution, Mindwipe, and Exclusion.

Restitution is an attempt to make good any harm done by the offender.

In property crimes this will involve repaying any losses plus a compensatory payment for inconvenience. In crimes against the person this is on a sliding scale dependant upon the seriousness of the offence and the effect upon the victim. Friends and relatives of the offender may assist him/her in making these payments, but if the sum set cannot be paid then the State will make good the difference and extract it from the offender in other ways, usually via a period of indentured servitude. The type of service is at the choice of the offender, but must be such as to repay the debt within a reasonable time frame, and larger sums can only be accrued through military or colonial service.

Mindwipe is a chemical erasure of memory, and amounts to the removal of a person's old personality. It is invariably followed by a period of indentured servitude set by a judge, usually 10-20 years and upwards depending on the offence, and almost invariably in the military or on start-up colonies for crimes of violence. Mindwipe is an extreme step and so by tradition it is always voluntary. A person may instead be Excluded, ie deported beyond the MAFC, never to return (on pain of Involuntary Mindwipe). Such is the social stigma attached to Exclusion, particularly for an offender's family, that a surprising number of people volunteer for Mindwipe to atone for their crimes.

Nevertheless, the Martian policy of Exclusion has come under a great deal of criticism from other nations as Mars 'exports' the worst of its anti-social elements, and there is some pressure for 'voluntary' mindwipes to be made involuntary, but Exclusion forms so great a part of Martian tradition that this has not happened yet. A compromise is usually made whereby deportation is to a non-aligned or even uninhabited system.

a. Voluntary mindwipe followed by indentured service, or Exclusion.

b. Crimes of violence against the person usually require some kind of mandatory re-educational treatment and Restitution according to a scale of payment for harm. In extreme cases the state will make Restitution to the victims and require either Mindwipe/public service, long-term psychiatric incarceration (rare, but possible for the most disordered personalities), or Exclusion.

c. Crimes of property where no violence occurs are punished by Restitution. Repeated offences or additional crimes committed while on public service will usually be subject to voluntary mindwipe or Exclusion.

d. Involuntary mindwipe followed by indentured servitude for a period to be set by the magistrate.

e. See c.

f. See b.

g. Compulsory psychiatric treatment, and possibly also Restitution if distress can be proven.

h. Crimes which constitute a general nuisance to society as a whole rather than a specific person (including traffic offences, pollution, safety breaches etc) are punished by making Restitution to the State rather than an individual. In effect this means a fine for traffic violations.

i. Drug use is only illegal in public places or while operating dangerous machinery, or for those in certain positions of responsibility during a time frame so as to impair their performance of their duties. It is usually grounds for dismissal, and some form of fine according to the potential for public harm.

Q7. Right of Appeal:

How would a defendant charged with one of the above crimes appeal against their sentence, and to whom?

7. Appellate courts are part of the legal procedure of most planets, but the final right of appeal is always to local or regional Association courts. In particularly serious cases the Association Court has the right to refer a case upwards to the Supreme Court on New Mars, but this is a right of the court rather than the individual, and so tends to occur only in cases which are especially sensitive.

Q8. Police Powers.

a. Privacy and civil rights: Is there anywhere that your police cannot go, and if there are limits, what are they?

8. a. This varies a good deal from world to world. While some regard private property as virtually sacrosanct without a proper warrant (this is typical of the so-called 'Viking Worlds' of Q7), Xynam, for example, has a test only of 'reasonable suspicion' that a crime has been committed.

b. Police powers vs Civil rights: Under what circumstances may the police arrest and detain?

b. Much the same as a. Action must however be later justified in an initial hearing, where the judge may release the defendant if the police cannot show 'reasonable grounds' for arresting the defendant.

c. Complaints procedure: To whom are the police accountable, and by what means can the general public complain or object to their activities?

c. Police are accountable to planetary authorities. There are no 'federal police', although there is a coordinating body which aims to exchange information between worlds (interpol-style). However, crimes committed within a military jurisdiction or involving military personnel, equipment etc are investigated by the MSN police, who have much greater rights to search, arrest, and detain, and who answer only to Association courts.

Q9. Open Government:

What sort of government activities are routinely kept secret from the general public?

9. Generally anything military. The Freedom of Information Act allows the government to block publication of anything which might cause 'significant harm' to the MAFC. Mars otherwise operates a fairly open governmental system. Detailed minutes of the Regional High Council are not made public, however, to allow the body to maintain 'collective responsibility'.

State of Emergency

A State of Emergency can be declared for a world or any part of it by its local authority. Multiple worlds or an entire sector can only be declared an Emergency zone by the Regional High Council. Emergency powers are designed to allow rapid and efficient relief of disasters or quelling of major civil unrest. They include enforced commandeering of private property (including the Ships Taken Up from Trade provision for allowing government control of merchant shipping), enforced movement of citizens, restrictions on movement both across planets and between them, and local formation of voluntary work groups.

State of War

War powers are reserved only for Regional High Councils, or, more generally, by the Martian Senate. They include conscription, forced reassignment of labourers, detention without trial for those suspected of activities contrary to the war effort, control of the media and effective subordination of civilian policy to the local Martian Star Navy commander (although civilian authority maintains control over most areas).

Martial Law

Martial Law is usually only declared on a planet-by-planet basis rather than across a wide area, and only in the most dire cases of rebellion. All authority passes from civilian to military control.

There is an inherent mistrust of military control in the MAFC, and this step is never taken lightly.