A Philippines military court dismissed mutiny charges Tuesday against seven officers allegedly involved in the February 2006 coup attempt against former president Gloria Macapagl-Arroyo . The seven-member military tribunal determined there was insufficient evidence to charge the seven junior officers with committing “overt acts” to overthrow the government. Under court-martial, the seven officers will be [...]
The Paris city council voted Monday to accept a deal in which former French president Jacques Chirac will pay the city USD $741,000 in compensation for money he allegedly paid to supporters for whom he created false jobs. In exchange for the compensation, the city agreed to drop out of a corruption suit against Chirac. [...]
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN on Monday called for an end to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) investigation into Israeli actions during the 2008-2009 Gaza campaign , Operation Cast Lead, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 Palestinians. The ambassador, Aharon Leshno Yaar, called the UNHRC investigation biased and said that Israel was [...]
Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu resigned Monday following last week’s Constitutional Court ruling that his dual roles as president and head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) violated the country’s constitution. Sejdiu said he did not believe his title as president of the LDK violated the constitution since he was not exercising duties associated with [...]
Australian Director of Military Prosecutions Brigadier Lyn McDade announced Monday that she will charge three Australian special forces soldiers in the deaths of six Afghan civilians during a 2009 operation. The deaths occurred as Australian forces attempted to clear a compound in Uruzgan province, where it was suspected that a Taliban leader was hiding. The [...]
The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China released a position paper Sunday on the country’s human rights record, claiming that it has heightened Internet freedoms and improved civil and political rights. The Progress in China’s Human Rights in 2009 white paper cites seven progressions in Chinese human rights areas, including: China’s [...]
Former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as his trial resumed Monday to defend himself against charges of war crimes. According to news reports, Karadzic did not appear to obstruct the process of the ICTY , despite repeatedly seeking to have his trial delayed. Karadzic [...]
Former UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston on Sunday called for an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. In his first interview since stepping down from his UN position, Alston urged the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to investigate conduct by both the Taliban and US and British military [...]
The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) expressed concern Monday that the country’s new regulations regarding information obtained through torture of foreign detainees may still leave intelligence agents vulnerable to legal action for human rights crimes committed by others. The guidelines provide steps that must be taken by intelligence officers before they interview, interrogate [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia declared a mistrial Monday in a murder case against two Blackwater defense contractors after the jury failed to reach a verdict. The jury notified Judge Robert Doumar Monday morning that they were still split after nine hours of deliberation spread over three [...]
