Niger's military leaders on Thursday suspended the country's constitution and dissolved all state institutions after the coup that took place the same day. A spokesperson for the military junta, which is calling itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), made the announcement on state TV. The African Union (AU) condemned the coup [...]
Judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber II requested Friday that chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo provide additional information regarding his request to open a formal investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity committed during the 2007-2008 post-election violence in Kenya . The judges stated that clarification and additional information was necessary to properly [...]
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Thursday appointed 18 judges ahead of the country's judicial elections, calling the move "the beginning of the decolonization of the judiciary." The appointees will fill five vacancies on the country's Supreme Court, five on the Constitutional Court, and three on the Judiciary Council, while five others were named alternates. All [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday that the state of Louisiana must issue a revised birth certificate for the adopted child of a same-sex couple showing both fathers' names. In 2006, Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith adopted their child in New York, where unmarried couples can legally adopt. The [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York announced at a hearing Thursday he is not ready to rule on a proposed class action settlement in a copyright suit over Google's book-scanning initiative . Judge Denny Chin heard arguments from both sides on whether the settlement adequately protects the [...]
Farzana Hassan : "The French parliament is currently debating the legality of a proposed ban on the burka, the full veil worn by some conservative Muslim women. In a statement endorsing the recommendations of the parliament, President Sarkozy mentioned equality and liberty as the reasons for the proposed legislation. Not surprisingly, this controversial move has [...]
Niger President Mamadou Tandja was taken hostage on Thursday in an apparent coup attempt by dissident army officials, leaving at least three Nigerien soldiers dead. The opposition forces invaded the presidential palace with machine guns during a meeting of government ministers and kidnapped Tandja along with half of his cabinet. The attack comes six months [...]
The Polish government joined a class-action on lawsuit Wednesday brought against Russia for the 1940 Katyn Massacre where 20,000 Poles were killed by the USSR. The suit , filed in May in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is being brought by 13 Polish citizens who are relatives of the victims. They allege that [...]
International Criminal Court (ICC) deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda arrived in Guinea Wednesday for a three-day investigation into the killing of more than 150 civilians in Conakry in September. During her investigation, Bensouda will determine whether the ICC has jurisdiction to try those responsible for the massacre if the government fails to do so. Bensouda has [...]
Lawyers representing Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr filed an emergency motion Wednesday in the Canadian Federal Court challenging a diplomatic note sent by the Canadian government to the US State Department . The note asks that all evidence collected by Canadian officials be omitted from any US proceedings against Khadr but declines to seek his [...]
