The Colorado House of Representatives voted 39-26 Tuesday in favor of a bill to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples. The legislation explicitly provides same-sex couples with many of the benefits held by married couples, including dependent insurance coverage and the ability to adopt a partner’s child. It goes on to provide that “all legal [...]
A judge for the New York Supreme Court on Tuesday permanently enjoined enforcement of amendments to a New York state regulation prohibiting the sale or provision of “sugary” beverages in large cups or containers by food service establishments. In October groups representing restaurants, beverage makers and movie theaters challenged the link between regulation-defined “sugary” drinks [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman on Monday urged the international community to establish comprehensive investigative mechanisms to probe and document human rights abuses in North Korea. The report , presented to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) , stems from research into more than 60 international documents categorizing [...]
Our Spring 2013 Fundraising Drive is approaching the halfway point, and we need your help to reach our goal. We’ve been delighted to see so many of our supporters from as far away as the Netherlands and as close as our own office building declare their financial support for JURIST. But there’s plenty more work [...]
A UN independent expert on Monday urged Myanmar to address shortcomings in reforming its human rights situation. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar Tomas Ojea Quintana warned the country of the possibility that the current reformation process may be endangered by leaving areas of importance untouched, especially related to the states of [...]
A court in Bahrain on Monday acquitted human rights activist Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafda on charges of spreading false news to harm the country’s security on Twitter . The human rights activist informed Reuters that after he spent a month in jail, the court finally overturned the charges against him. Al-Muhafda, the acting deputy head of [...]
Prosecutors for the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced Monday that they are dropping the crimes against humanity charges against former Kenyan cabinet secretary Francis Muthaura after encountering various issues with evidence and witness testimony. Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda cited three primary reasons for the withdrawal of charges. Bensouda explained that “several people who may have [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Monday to investigate claims of torture and ill-treatment made by many of the 94 defendants in a trial on state security charges. While several of the defendants have raised allegations of ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement, judicial authorities have yet to investigate these claims. “This [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday that Homeland Security’s border agents must demonstrate reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing before conducting forensic analysis of laptop computers and electronic devices. “Laptop computers, iPads and the like are simultaneously offices and personal diaries. They contain the most intimate details of our lives,” wrote Judge [...]
The Pentagon’s war crimes prosecutor has stated that a review panel should hear transparency challenges concerning the September 11 trial. Brigadier General, Mark Martins, who is the prosecutor at Guantanamo also insisted that the public must not hear about treatment of suspected 9/11 conspirators en route to Guantanamo. In filings submitted on Thursday at the [...]
