The European Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that vaccines can be blamed for causing illnesses even if there is no scientific proof. In a press release , the court explained: In today’s judgment, the Court holds that evidentiary rules allowing the court, where there is not certain and irrefutable evidence, to conclude that there is [...]
UN Special Rapporteur Mutuma Ruteere called on member states Tuesday to do more to prevent racism, xenophobia and discrimination against migrants and Muslims. Ruteere stated that counterterrorism measures aid in influencing fear and discrimination against those of Middle Eastern ethnic origin. He also said that he has witnessed “the proliferation of anti-Muslim rhetoric” in the [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called Tuesday for an independent investigation into the human rights situation in Kasai. Kasai province is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has been the subject of UN scrutiny for three months. The High Commissioner condemned the establishment of an armed [...]
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state government must act as the trustee for public natural resources under the Environmental Rights Amendment. The court ruled that royalties gathered from oil and gas leases on state lands cannot be used for budgetary matters and must be dedicated to conserving the Commonwealth’s natural resources. The [...]
A UN human rights expert warned Tuesday that the Central African Republic (CAR) “must act now” to protect its population and implement justice. According to Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, the expert on human rights for the CAR, armed forces are spreading throughout the country at a worrying rate and a lack of response from the government [...]
Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) charged Barclays and four of its former executives on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit fraud and violation of the Companies Act of 1985 by providing unlawful financial assistance. The case concerns agreements between Barclay’s and Qatari investors during the 2008 financial crisis. According to Reuters , “Qatar Holding, part of [...]
The Supreme Court of Georgia issued a landmark ruling Monday, holding that the state is immune from litigation unless it consents to being sued, rejecting a challenge to a 20-week abortion ban. Justice Blackwell began the 71-page opinion by writing “Simply put, the constitutional doctrine of sovereign immunity forbids our courts to entertain a lawsuit [...]
The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that a Russian law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality is discriminatory and violates the European Convention on Human Rights . The suit was brought by three activists—Nikolai Bayev, 42; Aleksei Kiselev, 33; and Nikolai Alekseyev, 39 — who were arrested and fined for carrying banners stating “homosexuality [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday in favor of a man who has been sentenced to death in Alabama, holding that he had not received “the psychiatric examination and assistance necessary to prepare an effective defense based on his mental condition” as required after the 1985 case Ake v. Oklahoma . James McWilliams [...]
The UNWorking Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID) reported on Monday that The Gambia is experiencing “encouraging signs in moves to shed light on past human rights violations.” In addressing the recurring enforced disappearances of many Gambians, the UNWGEID’s Chair, Houria Es-Slami and fellow delegation member Henrikas Mickevicius said, “we welcome the commitments made [...]
