The representative to Colombia for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Thursday reiterated his call for a peaceful solution to the country’s ongoing armed conflict. Christian Salazar made his remarks at a press conference following an announcement by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) stating plans to move forward [...]
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operated a secret prison outside the capital of Romania, the Associated Press (AP) alleged on Thursday. A joint investigation between the AP and a German public television company, ARD Panorama , reportedly uncovered the black site, whose existence has been rumored but never confirmed. The site is claimed to [...]
Top officials of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) told the UN Security Council Wednesday that international cooperation in tracking and arresting fugitives is vital to completion of the tribunals’ mandates. This year saw the arrests of the last two remaining fugitives wanted by [...]
Human Rights Watch called Thursday for the government of Yemen to increase the minimum age for girls to enter into marriage. In a 54-page report titled “How Come You Allow Little Girls to Get Married?” HRW claims that the current laws effectively make Yemeni girls and women second class citizens, often forcing them into pre-arranged [...]
Thai-born American citizen Joe Gordon (Thai name Lerpong Wichaikhammat) was sentenced Thursday to two-and-a-half years in a Thai prison after pleading guilty to violating Section 112 of the Thai Penal Code by defaming the royal family by translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting them online. Gordon was arrested [...]
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday that the US will use foreign assistance, international diplomacy and political asylum to promote gay rights . The secretary’s remarks before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva were in tandem with an executive memo from US President Barack Obama directing federal agencies to investigate avenues to [...]
Saadi Gaddafi, son of deceased former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi , was implicated Wednesday in a plot to flee to Mexico by the Secretary of the Interior . The announcement described the disruption by Mexican intelligence officials of an international criminal gang that had created false documents, purchased property and made other arrangements in preparations [...]
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced Wednesday that his office will no longer seek the death penalty against Mumia Abu-Jamal . As a result of the decision, Abu-Jamal will remain in prison for life ending a 30-year sentencing battle after he was convicted of killing police officer Daniel Faulkner. Williams said the decision was made [...]
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison on corruption charges. Judge James Zagel of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois handed down the sentence after Blagojevich made a public apology in court earlier in the day. Blagojevich was scheduled to be sentenced on October 6 [...]
The French parliament approved a proposal on Wednesday to ban prostitution . The non-binding resolution was backed by a show of hands and is expected to be followed by a bill. Prostitution is not currently outlawed in France although certain linked activities are. France’s sex worker’s trade union, STRASS , opposes the proposed bill, claiming [...]
