A French Internet piracy law has been challenged on constitutional grounds by the opposition Socialist party in front of the Constitutional Council . The bill, introduced by cultural minister Christine Albanel and supported by President Nicholas Sarkozy , is aimed at reducing illegal downloads of protected works and was approved by the French Senate earlier [...]
Former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian dismissed his defense lawyers Thursday and announced he would not call any witnesses in protest of what he sees as a politically motivated prosecution . Chen, who was indicted in December, faces possible life in prison on charges of embezzlement, receiving bribes, forgery, and money laundering. Chen and his former [...]
Authorities in Myanmar on Thursday closed the trial of pro-democracy advocate and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi after briefly opening it to 30 foreign diplomats Wednesday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said Wednesday that he plans to visit Myanmar "as soon as possible" to urge the release of Suu Kyi and other political [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that accused bomber and Guantanamo Bay detainee Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani will be prosecuted in a US federal court for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The announcement follows the ordered review of all Guantanamo detainees pursuant to plans to [...]
Auto de Procesamiento- Antecedentes de Hecho, Audiencia Nacional, May 21, 2009 . Read the full text of the judgment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
US President Barack Obama on Thursday reaffirmed his commitment to closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility while upholding the rule of law by trying some detainees in federal courts and others in modified military commissions . In a speech focusing on national security issues at the National Archives , Obama said that Guantanamo detainees who [...]
The New Hampshire House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a same-sex marriage bill after it was amended at the request of Governor John Lynch . The bill was defeated by a 186-188 vote after a religious liberty protection clause was added to gain Lynch's approval. The amended bill, which specified that religious groups will not [...]
An Italian judge ruled Wednesday that the trial of 26 Americans and seven Italians involving the 2003 abduction of Egyptian cleric Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr by the CIA will proceed despite excluded evidence. Judge Oscar Magi of the Fourth Chamber of the Court of Milan determined that the case will continue despite a ruling by [...]
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed into law the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act , which aims at expanding the federal government's authority to prosecute acts of financial fraud. Obama said that the legislation would "ensure that the problems that led us into this crisis never happen again." The bill, approved by the House [...]
The Constitutional Court of Slovakia ruled Wednesday that the Special Court, established to try corruption and organized crime cases, violates the Slovak Constitution . The Constitutional Court found that the ability of the National Security Authority (NBU) to revoke the security clearances of Special Court judges without clear rules rendered the Special Court insufficiently independent [...]
