The Swiss Federal Council and Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) announced Friday that they will introduce legislation establishing stricter rules on assisted suicide after a consultation with local governments, government agencies and other organizations found that 75 percent of respondents favored such a bill . According to the statement, “lthough a clear majority [...]
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for countries around the world to abolish laws discriminating against gay and lesbian individuals . The message, read on his behalf by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay during a panel discussion about ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, said that laws [...]
The UN Security Council on Friday issued a condemned the recent mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) , calling for justice for the victims. In the statement, issued by current Security Council President Ertugrul Apakan, the council reiterated its support for past resolutions on the subjects of security and respect for women [...]
Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka was convicted Friday by a court-martial on charges of corruption and sentenced to three years in prison. The court found that Fonseka gave preference to an arms company operated by his son-in-law. The court’s conviction and sentencing must still be ratified by President Mahinda Rajapaksa , who is [...]
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a South Florida man to 10 years in prison and revoked his citizenship for concealing his involvement in a Guatemalan peasant massacre on his US immigration forms. Authorities claimed that Gilberto Jordan committed naturalization fraud by concealing his military service and involvement in Guatemala’s December 1982 massacre in the [...]
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday voted 14-4 to approve the so-called New START treaty between Russia and the US. Along with 11 Democrats, three Republicans voted for its passage, including the committee’s ranking member Richard Lugar (R-IN) . The new START treaty replaces the expired Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I treaty) [...]
Lebanon should improve its judicial system by providing mechanisms to better protect the basic rights of domestic workers and more ardently prosecuting those who violate them, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Thursday. The report cites lengthy judicial procedures, stringent visa policies that make it difficult for workers to stay in Lebanon [...]
Two terror suspects accused of aiding al Qaeda pleaded not guilty Thursday to three additional charges. On Tuesday, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced a superseding indictment against Wesam El-Hanafi and Sabirhan Hasanoff for allegedly providing material support , including money and computer assistance, to al Qaeda. El-Hanafi allegedly traveled [...]
The US Department of Defense announced Thursday that two former Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred to Germany . German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that state authorities in Hamburg and Rhineland-Palatinate will help the former detainees adapt to life in Germany as the nation’s humanitarian contribution to closing the detention center . Rhineland-Palatinate [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday asked a federal judge to drop fraud and conspiracy charges against a former Merrill Lynch executive accused of taking part in the Enron Nigerian barge scam. James Brown was convicted , along with three other former Merrill Lynch executives in 2004, in the first criminal trial stemming [...]
