UN Under-Secretary-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze on Wednesday praised the increasing number of countries that have suspended or abolished the death penalty . Speaking at the 4th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Geneva, Ordzhonikidze expressed hope that countries that have not abolished the death penalty would adopt the 2007 UN Resolution 62/149 , placing a [...]
The Venezuelan government is continuously violating basic human rights , particularly freedom of expression, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for the Organization of American States (OAS) said in a report released Wednesday. The Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela report provides a detailed analysis on the state of human rights in the country, [...]
The European Commission (EC) confirmed Wednesday that it has received three antitrust complaints against Google regarding the way the search engine ranks search results, but said it has not started a formal investigation. UK price comparison company Foundem , French legal website EJustice , and consumer review website Ciao claim that Google impedes users' abilities [...]
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) briefed lawmakers between 2001 and 2007 on the specifics of enhanced interrogation techniques, according to declassified documents made public by Judicial Watch on Tuesday. The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch pursuant to a court order, indicate that at least 68 members of congress were briefed on the use of [...]
Maryland v. Shatzer, US Supreme Court, February 24, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on Fifth Amendment protections.
Marriage – Whether out-of-state same-sex marriage that is valid in the state of celebration may be recognized in Maryland, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, February 24, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on same-sex marriage.
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in two cases. In Carr v. United States , the court heard arguments on whether the failure to register provision of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) can be applied retroactively to underlying offenses occurring before SORNA's enactment. The US Court of Appeals for the [...]
Four Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred to Albania and Spain, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday. Three detainees, Tunisia native Aleh Bin Hadi Asasi, Egypt native Sharif Fati Ali al Mishad, and Libya native Abdul Rauf Omar Mohammad Abu al Qusin, were transferred to Albania and the fourth, an unidentified detainee from [...]
Twelve high-ranking Turkish military officers were formally charged on Wednesday for their role in an alleged plot to overthrow Turkey's government. Among those charged were four admirals, two retired colonels, and a retired brigadier general. More than 50 officers were arrested on Monday, including former Navy Commander Adm. Ozden Ornek and former Air Force Commander [...]
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled 9-0 in Maryland v. Shatzer that the Edwards v. Arizona prohibition against interrogation of a suspect who has invoked the Fifth Amendment right to counsel does not require suppression of statements if, after the suspect asks for counsel, there is a break of more than two years before [...]
