A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld a Massachusetts law prohibiting people from protesting directly outside of abortion clinics. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the law, which creates a 35-foot buffer zone around entrances and exits of reproductive health clinics, was a reasonable response to a significant threat to public [...]
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Thursday delivered the names of those believed responsible for the post-election violence in Kenya in late 2007 and early 2008 to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Annan sent a sealed envelope to ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo despite a June announcement that he would give Kenya until August [...]
Sweden will become the first European Union (EU) nation to extradite a Rwandan to his native country so that he can stand trial for his alleged role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide , Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask announced Thursday. The announcement comes in response to a Rwandan government request for Sweden to turn over Sylvere [...]
The Supreme Court of India on Thursday accepted a petition challenging a lower court ruling declaring India's anti-sodomy law unconstitutional. Sushil Kumar Kaushal asked the Court to set aside a ruling by the Delhi High Court , which found that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code , outlawing "carnal conduct against the order of [...]
Bangladesh should improve their war crimes laws to bring justice to victims of the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan, Human Rights Watch urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday. The rights group sent a letter to Hasina applauding the government's commitment in setting up tribunals to prosecute war criminals and asked for improvements to be [...]
A collection of advocacy groups filed suit Thursday against New Mexico and Indiana alleging that the states have failed to comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by not providing voter registration cards at public assistance agencies. Commonly known as the "Motor Voter Act," NVRA requires that states make voter registration materials [...]
Ethiopian lawmakers passed a controversial new anti-terrorism Tuesday law that rights groups claim will negatively affect human rights in the country. Ethiopian authorities responded Wednesday to a recent Human Rights Watch report , which expressed concern that the law could "punish political speech and peaceful protest as terrorist acts and encourage unfair trials." HRW argued [...]
The French Senate on Wednesday approved a new version of a controversial Internet piracy law after portions of it were rejected last month by France's Constitutional Council . The original law subjected violators of copyright laws to suspension of Internet access at the discretion of a newly-created administrative authority bestowed with judicial power. The new [...]
A Kosovo court on Wednesday began trial of three former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members accused of committing war crimes during the 1998-1999 Balkan ethnic conflicts . The trial, being held in the Kosovo's District Court of Prishtina, involves a mixed team made up of local and European Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) [...]
A commission created by the French National Assembly began hearings Wednesday to consider whether to enact laws banning the wearing of burqas or other "full veils." The commission heard testimony from anthropologist Dounia Bouzar who suggested that a broad ban on covering one's face to conceal identity is preferable to a law that singles out [...]
