Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond unveiled a proposal Thursday that, if passed, would allow Scottish voters to choose whether to expand the country's autonomy. The draft referendum contains two ballot papers. One version of the first question asks whether Scotland should cut ties with the UK in most areas excluding foreign affairs, defense, monetary policy, [...]
The Queen on the application of Binyam Mohamed v. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth, England and Wales Court of Appeal, February 26, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on Binyam Mohamed.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Friday opened the trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Zdravko Tolimir . Tolimir is charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, and murder. The crimes with which Tolimir is charged were allegedly carried out against Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and Zepa from [...]
The top Venezuelan human rights official on Thursday criticized findings in a report issued by the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) . Ombudsman Gabriela Ramirez , Venezuela's top rights official, said that the report makes unfair characterizations and undermines Venezuelan democracy. Ramirez responded to statistical findings in the report [...]
The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation ruled Friday that Russian courts must reconsider civil cases decided by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) , ordering legislative amendments. The rule previously applied only to criminal and arbitration cases . The decision stems from a complaint brought by three Russian citizens who won legal battles [...]
UN Under-Secretary-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze on Friday condemned calls by Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi for a jihad on Switzerland. Gaddafi issued the call in response to Switzerland's recent vote to ban the construction of minarets . Ordzhonikidze called the declaration "inadmissible" . Also Friday, a spokesperson for EU high representative Catherine Ashton criticized Gaddafi's calls. Gaddafi [...]
Paul Sherman : "March 24, 2009, was a defining moment in the history of the First Amendment. On that day, during oral argument in Citizens United v. FEC, Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart told the members of the Supreme Court that, under the Court's 1990 decision in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the government [...]
The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved a measure to extend expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act with no new privacy measures. Representatives voted 315-97 in favor of the measure, which would allow federal authorities to conduct "roving" wiretaps, to compel the production of business, medical, and library records, and to track so-called [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that a federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York has returned a five-count superseding indictment against suspected terrorists Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay. The men, both US citizens, have been charged with conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction [...]
The Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled Friday to seize 46.4 billion baht (USD $1.4 billion) in assets from ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for abuses of power while in office. The court found that Thaksin crafted government telecommunications policy to benefit his family by providing them with shares in Shin Corporation . The shares were [...]
