Axiom VIII: The Right to Defense

Every Sovereign accused in any dispute proceeding has the right to be informed of the specific accusation, to examine the evidence, to present a defense, and to access the dispute mechanism before any consequence takes effect.

No Kafkaesque proceedings. No punishment without process.

No anonymous accusations: a Sovereign who initiates dispute proceedings accepts bilateral transparency for the scope and duration of those proceedings. The right to opacity (Axiom VI) does not shield an accuser from the accused’s right to know what they are accused of.

Mechanism

Dispute Primitive enforces a notification phase before status changes. The Sovereign must be informed. The Sovereign must get a response window.