Violence and protests in Middle Eastern and North African countries are likely to continue throughout the next year unless each country’s government recognizes the purpose behind the movement and makes the changes being asked of them, Amnesty International (AI) reported Monday. The 80-page report also says that those participating in the protest movement , commonly [...]
Blackwater , now known as Academi , reached a confidential settlement agreement Saturday with survivors and families of victims in a 2007 shooting incident in the Nisour Square area of Baghdad that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. A subsequent FBI investigation revealed that 14 of the deaths were unjustified acts of excessive force . A [...]
The US Supreme Court granted certiorari Friday in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter to determine whether the federal government must pay American Indian tribes all contract-related costs incurred under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act , where the contract support costs exceed the funds that the government has made available to pay such costs. [...]
A Bahrain court on Monday overturned the death sentences for two protesters convicted of killing two police officers during the demonstrations that took place in the country last year. Bahrain was guided by recommendations from a panel of international investigators in its decision to transfer the protesters’ case to civilian court . This case was [...]
The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday acquitted Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim of charges that he sodomized a former male political aide. High Court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah said during the ruling that there was reasonable doubt in the case because of unreliable DNA evidence. Anwar has consistently argued [...]
An Iranian court on Monday sentenced Iranian-American ex-marine American Amir Mirzaei Hekmati to death for espionage. Iran accused Hekmati of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and cooperating with an enemy government in an attempt to accuse Iran of terrorism . The conviction is largely based on a televised confession in which Hekmati [...]
Syrian authorities on Thursday released 552 prisoners as a part of the country’s agreement with the Arab League . The prisoners were detained due to allegations that they were involved in “terrorist” activities. While more than 3,500 detainees have recently been released, human rights group Avaaz , estimates that 37,000 more remain in custody, despite [...]
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday expressed alarm over the increased use of capital punishment in Saudi Arabia, including increased use of torture to obtain confessions. According to OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville, executions in Saudi Arabia have nearly tripled since 2010. He also expressed concern over the recent [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday urged Yemen to accept the international prohibition against granting amnesty for human rights violations . Yemen is currently considering passing legislation which would grant amnesty for a period during which human rights violations may have taken place. She stressed that victims deserved justice and “amnesties [...]
An investigative commission in Afghanistan issued a statement on Saturday alleging the abuse of prisoners held by the US military at prisons in their country. The commission called for the transfer of all prisoners held by the US military to Afghan custody. The detainees held by US forces are a combination of Afghan nationals and [...]
