The Council of the District of Columbia voted Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside of Washington, DC. The bill, proposed by DC Councilman Phil Mendelson , was approved by a 12-0 vote. A number of council members applauded the vote, citing its historic nature, and hinting at forthcoming legislation that would allow same-sex marriages [...]
Will Youmans : "The announcement by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of the formation of a UN fact-finding mission to investigate alleged war crimes during the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year is both warranted and necessary. The appointment of the eminent jurist, South African judge Richard Goldstone, the chief UN [...]
The Court of Appeal of Fiji on Tuesday began considering a challenge to the legitimacy of the sitting government brought by ousted Fijian prime minister Laisenia Qarase . Qarase appeals from a November High Court decision holding that President Ratu Josefa Iloilo had the authority to name new leaders after a 2006 military coup removed [...]
A judge from the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday granted a government motion to set aside the conviction of former senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) on corruption charges. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the motion last week asking the court to set aside Stevens' October 2008 conviction and dismiss the [...]
The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Monday dismissed the appeal of former Bosnian Serb leader and war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic , in which he asserted that he is immune from prosecution. Karadzic alleged that US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke promised him in 1996 that [...]
Deputy International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has called on world leaders to end all support for Sudanese president and war crimes suspect Omar al-Bashir , according to a Monday report by the Associated Press. Bashir has come under increasing international pressure to comply with the ICC's warrant for his arrest and to retract [...]
Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua resigned Monday from the ruling coalition, claiming that the government had thwarted much needed judiciary reforms by appointing judges without her knowledge. Karua, the leader of the Narc-Kenya party and an outspoken critic of the government of President Mwai Kibaki , is said to have tendered her resignation despite pleas [...]
The Vermont Legislature on Tuesday voted to override Governor Jim Douglas' veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. Both the House and Senate surpassed the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto , which Douglas executed Monday , with votes of 100-49 and 23-5, respectively. New Hampshire appears to be the next [...]
Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was found guilty of committing human rights abuses during his 1990-2000 rule by a special court in Lima Tuesday. Fujimori, who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, was convicted on charges of approving the November 1991 killing of 15 people in Lima's Barrios Altos neighborhood and the July 1992 kidnapping [...]
Austrian Interior Minister Maria Fekter said Monday that the country would not accept released Guantanamo Bay detainees from the US, according to a report by the Associated Press. Fekter said the detainees could pose a security threat to the European Union (EU) during a meeting of EU leaders in Luxembourg. The leaders convened to discuss a request by US President Barack Obama [...]
