The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) for Northern Ireland announced Tuesday that it is considering whether to file charges against the British soldiers responsible for civilian casualties in the 1972 Bloody Sunday attack in Londonderry. The Bloody Sunday Inquiry released a report of a 12-year investigation on Tuesday calling the soldiers' actions "unjustified and unjustifiable." The [...]
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Tuesday called for the release of US lawyer and JURIST Forum contributor Peter Erlinder in a letter to Rwanda authorities. Acting on the advice of the UN Office of Legal Affairs , the ICTR asserted in the letter that Erlinder has immunity from prosecution under the Convention [...]
The US Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a hearing to consider the nomination of James Cole for deputy attorney general. Republican members of the committee used the hearing to offer criticism of the Obama administration's approach to fighting terrorism and to question the commitment of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to using all tools [...]
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced the latest plan of action for tackling the BP oil spill , including the development of a compensation fund, a long-term restoration plan and prevention of future disasters through stronger regulation. Obama will meet with BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg on Wednesday to discuss the establishment of a compensation [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the government of Iraqi Kurdistan to outlaw female genital mutilation (FGM) in a report published Wednesday. The report, "They Took Me and Told Me Nothing," calls on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to develop a comprehensive legislative plan to reduce FGM in the region and to ensure that it [...]
A group of 69 current and former law school deans have expressed their support for US Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan , describing her as "superbly qualified" in a letter released Tuesday. The June 7 letter, addressed to Senate Judiciary Committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-AL) , was authored by [...]
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) heard arguments Tuesday on behalf of Emmanuel Rukundo , a priest convicted of genocide and other charges last year. The appellate chamber also heard arguments from the prosecution, which is seeking to increase the 25-year sentence to life imprisonment. Rukundo's arguments are based on [...]
Ethiopian opposition parties on Tuesday filed suit against the National Electoral Board (NEB) alleging that parties' complaints regarding last month's elections were handled in an irregular manner. The parties allege they submitted 87 pages of evidence showing irregularities related to the election but were never questioned by the NEB regarding the allegations. The allegations included [...]
Spanish Justice Minister Francisco Caamano said Tuesday that the Spanish government plans to introduce legislation to ban the Islamic burqa in public places. The measure will be included in Spain's Religious Freedom Bill, which would also prohibit religious symbols, such as crucifixes, in state-owned buildings. Caamano said that the reasons for the impending ban are [...]
A German court on Tuesday ruled that a same-sex marriage performed abroad must be recognized as a registered partnership in Germany. An administrative court in Berlin held that the marriage must be treated legally as a registered partnership , after finding that authorities could not recognize the relationship as a marriage due to the requirement [...]
