Civil rights groups on Wednesday publicly condemned Malaysia’s “empty promises” to strengthen civil and political rights in the country. Amnesty International (AI) and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) claimed that authorities “failed to adequately respond to many of the questions raised by UN member states and were unable to give clear action plans or timelines on [...]
The Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of the Welton family seeking a declaration that the marijuana derivative used to treat five-year-old Zander Welton’s epilepsy is permissible under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) and, in addition, local prosecutors must stop pursuing charges against Zander’s parents. [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief , Heiner Bielefeldt, said Tuesday that “harmful practices inflicted on women or girls can never be justified in the name of freedom of religion or belief.” Bielefeldt urged governments to ensure that gender equality is adequately implemented. He particularly highlighted the harm of forced conversion [...]
The state of Alabama agreed Tuesday to permanently block several provisions of its immigration law , according to the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) . The key provisions that were permanently blocked include Sections 28; 11(f) and (g); 10, 11(a), 13, and 27; 12, 18, and 20; and 19. One of the provisions requiring [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Anthony Infanti of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law argues that a coalition in favor of abolishing income tax joint filing may soon emerge…
JURIST Guest Columnist Gabriel Walsh, Willamette University College of Law Class of 2016, analyzes the limits and protections of free speech surrounding issues of language used to encourage or promote suicide…
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay asserted on Wednesday that the Supreme Court of the Maldives has meddled excessively in the nation’s presidential elections. Earlier this month the Supreme Court of the Maldives annulled results from the first round of presidential elections and called for a new election, which was canceled after police [...]
Egyptian police on Wednesday arrested a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood , according to a source from Egypt’s Interior Ministry. Essam el-Erian had been on the run since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi . El-Erian, along with twelve other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, face charges of inciting violence relating to the deaths of [...]
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a 2011 state law restricting the use of chemical-abortions is unconstitutional, reaffirming the court’s 2012 decision . The law imposes broad and stringent limitations on physicians when prescribing abortion-inducing medications to patients, and banned the prescription of “off-label” drugs known to have abortion-inducing effects, even when used [...]
Bangladeshi authorities should order a retrial of military personnel involved in the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny due to alleged violations of international fair trial standards, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement released Tuesday. According to the advocacy group, the suspects have been subjected to torture, including beatings and electrical shocks, and at [...]
