Switzerland’s highest administrative court on Friday ruled to suspend the provisions of the Dublin Convention in relation to Hungary because of humanitarian and legal concerns over conditions. Hungary has continually been sharply criticized for its harsh treatment of refugees. The court stated that the situation in Hungary is too insecure and argued that the State [...]
Japan’s House of Councillors passed a law on Friday permitting 83-year-old Tsugu Akihito to become the first emperor since Emperor Kokaku in 1817 to abdicate his throne, clearing the way for his son, the 57-year-old Crown Prince Hironomiya Naruhito , to ascend to the throne. The upper house of parliament passed the bill with a [...]
The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) , Fatou Bensouda , on Thursday renewed her calls to the UN Security Council and the international community to support her office’s efforts in tackling impunity and pursuing justice for human rights violations in the Darfur region of Sudan. Bensouda particularly urged all UN member states, specifically [...]
A federal judge on Thursday denied bail to Reality Leigh Winner, the Georgia woman who is accused of leaking classified information to the media. Prosecutors successfully argued that she remains a flight risk and a threat to the public after presenting a notebook in which she wrote, “I want to burn the White House Down [...]
The Republican-led US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to lift many of the constraints that were put into place following the 2008 financial crisis. This vote is likely the beginning of a debate over deregulation of the powerful banking industry. This bill , supported by the Trump administration, would amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street [...]
Japan’s lower legislative house approved changes to Japan’s century-old rape laws on Thursday that would expand the definition of rape, lengthen prison sentences to five years and allow prosecutions to occur in instances where a victim did not press charges. The amendments would redefine rape to include more forms of forced sexual penetration, which would [...]
Attorneys for Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah have filed a lawsuit against the two psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who developed the harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA, including waterboarding and sleep deprivation. The UK human rights group Reprieve announced the case on Wednesday. The attorneys are seeking to subpoena the psychologists in order [...]
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block a finding that a Texas county’s bail system discriminates against the poor. Officials of Harris County petitioned the court on Tuesday for an emergency order to block the ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which called for the release of inmates [...]
Former FBI director James Comey testified on Thursday in front of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence . During more than two hours of testimony, Comey recounted nine encounters with President Donald Trump. Comey had documented each time he met with the president in private. While he did not make any new revelations about links [...]
The Connecticut General Assembly on Tuesday passed HB 5743 , an anti-hate crime bill that could be the strongest in the country. The legislation makes any hate crime an automatic felony rather than a misdemeanor. The bill is also more inclusive as to what constitutes a hate crime by adding violence or threats based on [...]
