Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court on Wednesday referred the country’s newly passed electoral law to the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) for review, thereby delaying parliamentary elections originally set to begin on April 22. The court’s decision is said to be based on technical grounds , namely that the Shura Council, Egypt’s upper house of parliament, failed [...]
UNICEF reported Wednesday that Israeli practices surrounding the detention of children may violate international legal standards. The report claims approximately 700 Palestinian children are detained every year in Israeli military facilities. Further, UNICEF suggests mistreatment of these children in these facilities is “widespread, systematic and institutionalized.” According to the report, the mistreatment includes: The arrests [...]
Legislators from UN member states on Tuesday discussed the importance of laws against sexual, domestic and gender violence during the second day of the UN women’s commission annual session. Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women , in a speech to the legislators called for [...]
The Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the death penalty for two civilians, Rana Naveed and Ameer Sohail, who were sentenced by an army appellate court for attacking the country’s former military president Pervez Musharraf . Musharraf had survived two assassination attempts in December 2003, but civilians and police officers perished in the attacks . [...]
A letter written by US Attorney General Eric Holder to Senator Rand Paul suggests that in “extraordinary circumstances” it would be lawful and within the president’s authority to use a weaponized drone to carry out a lethal strike on an American citizen on US soil. Though dismissing the potential for such as strike as being [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez called Tuesday for a debate on abuses and mistreatment in health care settings that potentially equate to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. The call for debate was based upon a report released in February that detailed the abuses and mistreatment and the policies promoting [...]
A human rights expert presented her report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Tuesday urging nations to provide a “bare minimum” legal framework to protect those working within their states to defend human rights. The report by Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Margaret Sekaggya claims that rights advocates and groups can be a [...]
As you may well have noticed, we have officially kicked off our Spring 2013 Fundraising Drive! Throughout the month, we’ll be (briefly) interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to ask you a simple question: how much is JURIST worth to you? For as little as $10, you can show that you believe in JURIST, that you [...]
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday highlighted their concern over violence and turmoil in Guinea . The OHCHR discussed reports of injuries and death following demonstrations in the captial of Conakry. OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville said, “We call on national authorities to ensure the strict application of law [...]
A Chilean appeals court on Tuesday ordered the suspension of the Punta Alcalde hydroelectric dam project based on environmental concerns. The project is under the management of Endesa , an energy company based in Spain. The suit was brought by local fishermen who claimed the dam project would have significant adverse environmental effects and would [...]
