For governments, in addition to the benefits mentioned above, there is the hope of boosting citizen confidence in public authorities [16, 18, 19].
Ecuador similarly passed constitutional provisions in 2008 stating that nature had the inherent right to exist, thrive and evolve, also granting citizen enforcement authority to uphold those rights.
Pittsburgh, the largest city that passed such an ordinance, recognized in 2010 the rights of nature and rejected the rights of corporations to conduct gas drilling against the people's will, providing citizen enforcement authority as a safeguard.
Because he is not a citizen, the authorities could deport him at any time.
He wiretapped citizens without authority, secretly permitted the use of torture and dismissed prosecutors on political grounds.
The case has also been cited on various internet sites as giving citizens the authority to resist unlawful arrest.
While the movement enjoys support on college campuses and among many Palestinian citizens, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas doesn't fully endorse the movement.
The two Americans, Oded Orbach and Alwar Pouryan, are naturalized citizens, the authorities said.
"It's about showing everyone – citizens, local authorities and national government – that the faith in a city can change, as long as people want it to," said Goudis.
Some profits from the frauds were channeled to businesses in Russia, while others were funneled into a Swiss bank account and withdrawn by Russian citizens, the authorities said.
