The Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Wednesday unveiled an interim constitution that allows the council to retain control over the country until an elected government is installed. The document vests the military council with presidential powers , including the abilities to introduce legislation, veto existing laws and act as Egypt’s representative to [...]
A panel of judges for the Amsterdam District Court on Wednesday ordered that the trial of right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders , on charges of making anti-Islamic statements, go ahead over his objections that the court was the improper venue for his case. Last month, the court granted Wilders the right to set out the [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday overturned a lower court’s decision granting release to Yemeni Guantanamo Bay detainee Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman. Uthman’s 2004 habeas corpus petition challenging his basis for detention was granted when the US District Court for the District of Columbia determined that the [...]
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Tuesday signed into law a bill outlawing abortions performed based on the sex or race of the fetus. Representative Steve Montenegro sponsored HB 2442 and HB 2443 , which separately outlaw abortions based on the child’s sex or race. Under the new abortion law, a physician or health professional who [...]
A judge for Wisconsin’s Dane County Circuit Court issued an order Tuesday prohibiting implementation of the state’s new Budget Repair Bill . The order emphasizes that a temporary restraining order issued March 18 prohibits not only publication of the bill, but implementation of its provisions as well. Judge Maryann Sumi warned state officials that any [...]
Somaliland , an unrecognized independent region in northern Somalia , opened a maximum security prison for pirates on Tuesday. The prison, refurbished by a USD $1.5 million grant from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) , is currently only housing prisoners tried in Somalia , with indications that this will be the prison’s [...]
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Tuesday sentenced Jean-Baptiste Gatete to life imprisonment, the highest sentence meted out by the ICTR, for his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide . Gatete, the former Mayor of Murambi Commune in Byumba prefecture, has been on trial since October 2009 and was one of several prominent [...]
Sarah Paulsworth, University of Pittsburgh School of Law ’12, writes about the absence of alternative military service in Azerbaijan and of protections afforded to conscientious objectors (COs) under international law… The Imprisoned Activist and condition of CO’s in Azerbaijan On March 4, 2011 well-known Azerbaijani activist, former parliamentary candidate Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was arrested for evading [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Wal-Mart v. Dukes , a gender discrimination class action lawsuit estimated to include more than 1.5 million women—the largest class action lawsuit in US history. The issues are (1) whether claims for monetary relief can be certified under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(2) and, if so, [...]
Finnish telecommunications company Nokia announced Tuesday that it filed another complaint against Apple with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in addition to a lawsuit filed in Delaware. Nokia’s newest complaint alleges Apple is violating seven patents “in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, tablets and computers … in the areas of [...]
