A three-judge panel sitting for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Thursday that immigrants who are imprisoned while fighting deportation cannot be held indefinitely without a bail hearing and that the government must justify the need for the prolonged detention. The ruling came in an appeal of a district court decision [...]
The UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on Wednesday concluded three days of hearings in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh aimed at determining whether two senior Khmer Rouge leaders are fit enough to stand trial on accusations of genocide and other war crimes. The ECCC heard testimony from New Zealand expert geriatrician [...]
Lawyers for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday asked the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to overturn a ruling that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (DADT) is a violation of service members’ constitutional rights. The repeal of DADT is set to take effect on September 20, and the DOJ [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday began hearings at The Hague in the cases against six Kenyans accused of crimes against humanity stemming from 2007 post-election violence . The hearings will confirm the charges against three of the six men and will establish if prosecutors have enough evidence to hold a trial. The suspects [...]
Director General of the UN Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , Irina Bokova , expressed concern Thursday over the abuse of journalists in Syria . She stated: “Torture and detention will never convince the people of Syria that might is right. It is essential for the future of the country and its people that [...]
A New Mexico judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the “Residency Verification Program” , announced last month by Governor Susana Martinez . Judge Sarah Singleton stated that “irreparable injury will occur in the form of constitutional deprivations” if the “Residency Verification Program” is not halted. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) filed the [...]
The Council of Europe (COE) Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg on Thursday accused European governments of numerous human rights violations during counter-terrorism efforts over the past 10 years. Hammarberg said that many European countries began helping the US with secret counter-terrorism measures after the 9/11 attacks . Those measures allegedly included rendition of suspects [...]
A public employees union has filed a lawsuit in Indiana state court challenging a state law disallowing future recognition of public employee collective bargaining rights. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 62 , which represents Indiana state employees, announced that it has filed suit in Marion County Circuit Court against Governor [...]
Liberia’s National Election Commission (NEC) on Wednesday announced that all four proposed amendments to the Republic’s constitution were voted down in last week’s national referendum. One defeated proposal was to move back the national election date from the first Tuesday in October to the first Tuesday in November, pushing the election out of the rainy [...]
Lawyers for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on Wednesday urged the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle to preserve two lawsuits over the warrantless surveillance of US citizens. EFF argued that the government should not be able block the suits under claims of state secrets. The EFF says that the National [...]
