A group of international non-governmental organizations released a joint statement Friday urging world leaders to establish a global development framework that prioritizes human rights and normative justice over aid-based models after the expiration of the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) . In July 2012 the UN established a 26-member panel to draft plans for [...]
Bangladeshi authorities on Sunday arrested Jamaat-e-Islami party (JI) leader AKM Yusuf on charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War . Prosecutors allege that Yusuf helped to train 96 Islamic party activists for the paramilitary group known as the “Razakars.” The militia group reportedly collaborated with the Pakistani junta during [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday ruled per curiam that an abstract idea is not patentable simply because it is tied to a computer system. Analysts say the ruling could have severe implications on software and business method patents. In the case, CLS Bank v. Alice Corporation, plaintiff Alice’s four [...]
Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak appeared in court on Saturday for a retrial on charges of complicity in the murder of over 800 protesters last year. An Egyptian appeals judge overturned Mubarak’s conviction and life sentence in January on those same charges, ordering a retrial. The next hearing is set for June 8 at which [...]
Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt was found guilty Friday of the genocide, torture and rape of 1,771 indigenous Ixil Mayans during his 1982-83 rule. The court found that Rios Montt was responsible for commanding his military forces to kill 5.5 percent of the Ixil population, who were deemed “domestic enemies of the state.” He [...]
A New York federal judge on Friday declined to delay his order that emergency contraception be available over the counter (OTC) to girls of all ages. Judge Edward Korman of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued the order last month, citing a lack of scientific evidence to support age [...]
Members of the Seleka rebel coalition , which ousted President Francois Bozize of the Central African Republic (CAR) in March, committed atrocities against civilians, including pillage, summary execution, rape and torture, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Friday. Daniel Bekele, Africa director at HRW, called on the Seleka Coalition to end the abuses against civilians and [...]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called upon the international community on Friday to find a solution to the conflict in Syria and ensure that those responsible for human rights violations are held accountable. Pillay’s urging came after a series of massacres were carried out against civilians, including young children, in al-Bayda [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Shubin Nikita, Russian State University for the Humanities, Law Faculty, explores a new amendment to Russian law affecting non-commercial organizations…
The Minnesota House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage by a vote of 75-59 , dividing mostly upon party lines. This bill moves Minnesota a step towards become the twelfth US state to legalize gay marriage. The bill will have to pass in the Senate before becoming law, but most [...]
