International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Wednesday the ICC would allow Libya to conduct the trial of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi . Despite concern from human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch , about whether Saif al-Islam Gaddafi can receive a fair trial in Libya, Ocampo said [...]
The UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee on Tuesday approved a draft resolution condemning recent human rights violations in Syria . The non-binding resolution, drafted by the UK, France and Germany, passed by a vote of 122-13, with 41 abstentions. The resolution, “Strongly condemns the continued grave and systematic human rights violations by the Syrian [...]
Merck & Co reached a settlement agreement Tuesday with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) , agreeing to pay $950 million in criminal and civil penalties. The agreement includes $321 million in criminal fines and $628 million in civil fines as well as submitting a guilty plea to an information filed by the US Attorney’s [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday filed a challenge to Utah’s controversial immigration law . The measure was signed into law in March by Utah Governor Gary Herbert and requires police to check the immigration status of anyone arrested for an alleged felony or serious misdemeanor.The DOJ argues that the law is preempted [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday consolidated the ongoing Proposition 8 case with an appeal of a denied motion to vacate District Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling due to conflict of interest. Walker, who initially overturned Proposition 8 , is a gay man who has been in a committed same-sex relationship [...]
The Malaysian Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War (KLFCW) on Tuesday found former US president George W. Bush, former UK prime minister Tony Blair guilty of war crimes after a symbolic trial . The duo was found guilty on charges in connection to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq after a four-day hearing. The trials, [...]
Malaysia’s government on Tuesday introduced legislation that will enforce new restrictions on public demonstrations, including a ban on street protests and other rules that opposition leaders believe are too repressive. Proposed by the National Front , Malaysia’s ruling party, and supported by Prime Minister Najib Razak , the bill, known as the Peaceful Assembly Bill [...]
The US International Trade Commission (USITC) ruled Monday for Apple on a patent complaint brought by HTC . The USITC found that Apple had not violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by reasons of infringement of Patent Nos. 6,658,146, 6,683,978, 6,775,417 and 7,043,087 . These patents relate to HTC’s recently acquired subsidiary [...]
The relatives of 57 people killed in a 2009 Philippines massacre on Tuesday sued former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for allegedly assisting the perpetrators. The families seek five million pesos (USD $345,000) from Arroyo for damages caused by her alleged support of the Ampatuan family , whom government prosecutors claim were behind the November 2009 [...]
The Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday upheld the state’s death penalty law. The court’s ruling affirmed the death sentence of a man convicted of murdering a 13-year old boy with a sledgehammer in 1997. In its defense of the death penalty, the court invoked provisions of the Connecticut Constitution that permit capital punishment, declaring, “In [...]
