The head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) , Carlos Castresana, resigned Monday, citing the country's failure to adequately cooperate in the fight against corruption. Castresana expressed his frustration with the process, indicating he felt there was nothing more he could do to end corruption under the country's current laws. He also [...]
The Taipei District Court on Tuesday found former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian not guilty of embezzling USD $330,000. Chen was indicted in September for allegedly using funds received from the Foreign Affairs Ministry for diplomatic trips and using it to finance his son's studies in the US. The court held that the indictment was without [...]
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Tuesday transferred the cases of 25 suspects in the 1994 Rwandan conflict to Rwandan authorities. The suspects, who have been investigated but not yet indicted by the ICTR, are believed to be in hiding abroad. Rwandan Prosecutor General Martin Ngoga has stated that his government will complete [...]
The Chinese government on Tuesday defended its Internet censorship laws in a report detailing Internet usage within the country. China reported that nearly 30 percent of its population currently has access to the Internet and that they expect that number to increase to nearly 50 percent in the next five years. The report recognizes the [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Wednesday denied a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by Guantanamo Bay detainee Adham Mohammed Ali Awad, allowing for continued incarceration of the Yemeni national by the US government. A three-judge panel unanimously upheld the district court's decision , which referred [...]
The Swiss Federal Assembly on Tuesday rejected an agreement with the US that would have allowed Swiss bank UBS to disclose account information of clients suspected by the US government of tax evasion. The Swiss National Council , the lower house of parliament, voted 104-76 to reject the treaty, opting to send it to a [...]
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli on Monday filed a response to the federal government's motion to dismiss the state's lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of recently passed health care legislation. The suit was filed in response to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and contends that Congress's use of the Commerce Clause [...]
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Monday ordered Goldcorp, one of the world's largest gold producers, to shut down the company's Marlin mine in Guatemala, pending an investigation into human rights abuses and environmental violations . The commission, part of the DC-based Organization of American States (OAS) , is conducting an investigation into whether [...]
The US Navy announced Monday that it will appeal an appeals court ruling overturning the conviction of US Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III . Hutchins, who was convicted in 2007 for the 2006 kidnapping and murder of an Iraqi civilian in Hamdania , remains in the brig at Camp Pendleton while the Navy appeals to [...]
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday launched an internal investigation of the May 31 Israeli raid on several Turkish ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip . Chief of the General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi named Major General Giora Island to head an internal team of experts to investigate the flotilla operation. The team is [...]
