Myanmar's largest opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) , announced Monday that it will not participate in the nation's first elections in 20 years because of "unjust" election laws . A spokesperson for the NLD explained that the party had unanimously decided not to register for the elections because they viewed the nation's [...]
A Quezon City court on Monday dismissed rebellion charges against 24 people, including Andal Ampatuan Sr., the leader of a Muslim clan in the Philippines' semi-autonomous southern province of Maguindanao, and four of his family members. The Philippines Department of Justice had implicated Ampatuan and several of his followers in the November slayings of 57 [...]
US President Barack Obama on Sunday urged the Afghan government to reduce corruption and institute an effective judicial system. During a surprise visit to the country, Obama called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take steps to promote good governance , end cronyism, and curtail the opium trade . US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs [...]
A Chinese court on Monday convicted four employees of Australian mining company Rio Tinto of receiving bribes and stealing commercial secretes. Rio Tinto's Shanghai manager, Australian national Stern Hu, and three Chinese colleagues were sentenced to between seven and 14 years in prison for accepting around USD $13.5 million in bribes and using "improper means" [...]
The UN Human Rights Committee has called on Uzbekistan to carry out an independent investigation into the May 2005 Andijan clashes between Uzbek protesters, soldiers and police that human rights groups claim killed up to 500 people . Uzbek officials have officially put the death toll at 173. The Committee's report comes a week before [...]
A top Japanese judge on the International Criminal Court (ICC) Sunday called on more Asian governments to participate in the tribunal so its regional representation would be more balanced. Judge Kuniko Ozaki , who was elected to the ICC in January, said that both Asia and the Middle East are underrepresented on the court. Of [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) released information Friday on hundreds of people tried and convicted in federal courts on charges related to international terrorism since 9/11. The National Security Division (NSD) chart has been maintained since the September 2001 attacks , and includes the name, charges, and sentences of 403 people, according to a [...]
Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng spoke to a reporter from Reuters Sunday verifying that he is alive and is living in Wutai mountain in China's Shanxi province. Gao, who had been missing for more than a year, said he had been released last year and that he wanted to "live a quiet life for [...]
A US military judge Friday denied a motion to dismiss charges against US Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich , the leader of the squad implicated in the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in November 2005. Lt. Col. David Jones ruled that the evidence was insufficient to demonstrate that officers handling the case were improperly [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously ruled Friday that limiting contributions from individuals to independent political advocacy organizations is unconstitutional. The court relied on the Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , which eased restrictions on political and campaign spending by corporations on First [...]
