There were only 78 new death sentences handed down in the US in 2011—the first time that number has dropped below 100 since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976—according to a report published Thursday...

The two-year sodomy trial of Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim came to a close Thursday with the prosecution delivering its closing arguments. Under Malaysian law, sodomy is punishable by...

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday that Syrian army commanders and officials have ordered troops to attack unarmed protesters in an all-out effort to stop public demonstrations. These allegations are detailed in an 88-page report based...

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have essentially repealed the state's Racial Justice Act . The 2009 law, which allows death row inmates to appeal their...

An Egyptian military court on Thursday reduced the sentence of a blogger charged with criticizing the military. The court reduced the three-year sentence of blogger Maikel Nabil to two years. Nabil was convicted and sentenced to prison...

The White House on Wednesday announced that President Barack Obama no longer intends to veto the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012 . The about face comes after revisions by lawmakers that address the concerns...

Algerian lawmakers on Wednesday approved a controversial new media law that critics say will impede freedom of expression. The law restricts journalists from undermining Algeria's sovereignty, national identity, economy and security, providing for fines up to USD...

A French court on Thursday convicted former president Jacques Chirac on corruption charges, handing him a two-year suspended sentence. The charges stem from his time as mayor of the city of Paris and accused...

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Wednesday reduced the sentence of Theoneste Bagosora , called the "kingpin" of the 1994 Rwandan genocide , from life to...

A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Tuesday revived a six-year-old lawsuit over the Plan B emergency contraceptive , but declined to hold the Food and Drug Administration...