United Nations Convention on Cluster Munitions, United Nations, ratified by the 30th country February 16, 2010 and scheduled to enter into force August 1, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on cluster munitions.

Myroslava Savchuk, Pitt Law LLM '10, discusses the differences between judicial review in the United States and her home country of Ukraine… Judicial review refers to a court's power to review the constitutionality of a country's laws and invalidate them when necessary. Although the structure, methods, and effects of judicial review differ from country to [...]

Iranian official Mohammad Javad Larijani told the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Monday that Iran is fulfilling its human rights obligations . Larijani also said that the nation has implemented long-term plans to protect human rights . Larijani rejected criticism suggesting the nation engaged in the torture and murder of dissidents, characterizing these allegations as [...]

US Attorney General Eric Holder said in an interview with the New York Times Sunday that he hopes to hold a civilian trial for accused 9/11 conspirator Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , but that a military tribunal must be considered in the wake of mounting public and political pressure. According to the interview, Holder prefers a [...]

Hundreds of Pakistani lawyers boycotted the courts Monday in protest of the recent clash between President Asif Ali Zardari and the Supreme Court of Pakistan . Lawyers protested and boycotted the courts , refusing to attend court proceedings in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, and Quetta, after the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBAP) called [...]

A Beijing court on Friday indicted Huang Guangyu, formerly China's richest man , with insider trading, bribery, and illegal business practices. The charges , brought by the Supreme People's Procuratorate come almost 15 months after Huang was initially placed under detention. His case has been the subject of intense media coverage in China involving allegations [...]

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos announced Monday that Spain will accept five detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay . Spain had previously agreed to accept only two detainees, one Yemeni and one Palestinian, in response to a June request by the Obama administration. Moratinos indicated that Spain was willing to increase the number [...]

The New South Wales Supreme Court on Monday sentenced five men for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism. The five men are Australian citizens from Sydney and are of Lebanese, Libyan, and Bangladeshi descent. The lead conspirator and his lieutenant were sentenced to 28 years in prison, while the other three involved in the plot [...]

Canadian Human Rights Commission v. Elections Canada, Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, February 12, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the Canadian Human Rights Act.

US lawmakers on Thursday called for legislation to mitigate the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision easing restrictions on political campaign spending by corporations. The proposal was put forth by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Chris van Hollen (D-MD) . As outlined, the legislation would ban foreign companies, or those controlled by foreign [...]