The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called for an independent investigation into post-election violence in the Ivory Coast on Monday as part of a report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) . The report indicated that the human rights situation was deteriorating rapidly in the wake of the refusal [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday that the Uzbekistan government has ordered the closure of the advocacy group’s Uzbek office. HRW learned from the Uzbekistan Supreme Court on March 10 that, after maintaining a presence in the country for 15 years, it would have to vacate its offices in Tashkent. In a prior correspondence, the [...]
Iraq’s Justice Ministry announced Monday that it will close a Green Zone detention center because of alleged human rights violations. Justice spokesperson Haidar al-Saad said this decision was made after last month’s investigation into the prison’s living conditions. The prison population in the detention facility known as “Camp Honor” will be transferred to various other [...]
Proponents of Proposition 8 , California’s same-sex marriage ban, on Monday urged the Supreme Court of California to allow them to defend the measure when state officials refuse to do so. Last month, the court announced that it would decide the critical procedural issue to determine if the pending federal appeal of the invalidation of [...]
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa declared a three-month state of emergency Tuesday in response to growing unrest in the island nation. The announcement of the martial law style system was made in state-run media and gives the military commander “authority to take measures and procedures necessary for maintaining the integrity of the homeland.” [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a brief with the Supreme Court Monday urging the court not to take a case challenging the constitutionality of the 2010 health care reform law until a federal appeals court reviews the case. The DOJ argues that the case is ineligible for early review under Supreme Court Rule [...]
Seven Guatemalans filed a class action lawsuit on Monday with the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that they had been the subject of non-consensual human medical experimentation by the US Public Health Service (PHS) . The suit was brought on behalf of all individuals who were subjected to experimentation in Guatemala [...]
The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced five Somali pirates to life sentences on Monday for attacking the USS Nicholas . Maritime piracy carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison . The men received an additional 80 years each for firearms and other piracy-related charges. US Attorney for the Eastern [...]
US President Barack Obama called Sunday for greater enforcement of gun laws in the wake of the January shootings in Arizona . In an opinion piece published by the Arizona Daily Star, Obama called for the implementation of “sound and effective steps” aimed at minimizing gun violence. He outlined three steps designed to enhance the [...]
Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday warned the six Kenyans suspected of inciting the 2007-2008 post-election violence that arrests would ensue if they did not comply with the court’s conditions. The warning follows a summons issued by the ICC last week for the suspects to appear before the court [...]
