The trial chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Friday convicted Serbian nationalist Volislav Seselj of contempt and sentenced him to 15 months in prison for authoring a book revealing pertinent information about several key witnesses. Seselj, leader of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, is currently on trial in the [...]
The Taipei District court said Friday that a verdict in the corruption cases against former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian will be delivered on September 11. Presiding judge Tsai Shou-hsum said that the trial had entered its final stages and would conclude July 28. Tsai said the verdict for all four charges would be delivered at [...]
Defense lawyers for Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi presented their closing arguments Friday with the prosecution expected to offer its closing arguments Monday. Suu Kyi was reportedly disappointed with the court's decision to allow the prosecution more time to prepare their closing, as it is customary for both parties to give their closing [...]
Spanish police announced Friday that they have arrested Jorge Alberto Soza, wanted in his home country of Argentina on torture charges stemming from his service in the police force during the country's military dictatorship. From 1976 to 1983, a period known as the "Dirty War" , an estimated 20,000-30,000 people were forcibly kidnapped or "disappeared" [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Friday that the US Department of the Interior (DOI) must provide an accounting in a 13-year class action lawsuit concerning the US government's alleged mismanagement of trust funds for a group of some 500,000 American Indians. Both parties appealed two separate rulings from [...]
US financial regulators and scholars advised the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday that "safety and soundness" can be restored to the financial system through increased regulatory oversight, but did not agree on the form that oversight should take. In his opening statement , committee Chair Christopher Dodd (D-CT) expressed doubt about the Obama administration's plan [...]
Jackson Chin : "The changes announced by ICE to operating its controversial 287(g) program and the gradual upgrading of current state-local agreements do not inspire confidence among the civil rights and human rights community. These changes are ultimately superficial and flawed. Unfortunately, they come too late to overcome systemic problems and cannot justify the expansion [...]
The French Senate on Thursday approved a controversial bill that allows more businesses in Lille, Marseilles, and Paris to open on Sundays by a vote of 165-159. Under the bill, employees who work Sundays are to be paid at least twice what they normally would be paid. Absent a collective agreement, employees who work Sundays [...]
Terrorism suspects should be prosecuted in US federal courts instead of military commissions, according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights First . The report, prepared by two former federal prosecutors, claims that the civilian court system is fully equipped to try terrorism cases and argues against the creation of a new security court [...]
The Obama administration sent Congress draft legislation Wednesday that would put the Federal Reserve in charge of regulating the largest financial firms . The proposed legislation would create an eight-member Financial Services Oversight Council to pinpoint risks in financial markets and would establish a National Bank Supervisor and Resolution Authority. It would also create within [...]
