A Mexican appeals court on Thursday affirmed a lower court ruling that absolved former president Luis Echeverria of any criminal responsibility for the 1968 killings of student protesters in Mexico City's Tlatelolco Plaza. The Fifth Criminal Collegiate Court upheld the Third United Criminal Tribunal's July 2007 finding that the act constituted genocide but that the [...]
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko called for constitutional changes to provide more separation between parliamentary and presidential powers during a Thursday interview with Reuters. Tymoshenko said that she believed that the presidency should retain certain powers, but that parliament should be given clear ways to check those powers. She said that by amending the country's [...]
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Thursday said that it has focused on the effects of counter-terrorism efforts and global warming on human rights, as well as effective conflict resolution and the support of international institutions charged with protecting the rights in its Annual Report on Human Rights . Introducing the report, UK Foreign Secretary David [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Thursday that a South Carolina law requiring convicted first degree sex offenders to submit to a DNA test and pay $250 in processing fees prior to their release does not violate the ex post facto clause of the Constitution. Anthony Eubanks, convicted of criminal sexual [...]
The US House of Representatives voted 285-140 Wednesday to approve the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 , a collection of more than 160 bills aimed at preserving federal land as wilderness areas, limiting gas and oil development, establishing the National Landscape Conservation System, and various water protection efforts. Among other initiatives, the measure [...]
The Tokyo District Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit filed by 172 teachers and school personnel who were punished for refusing to sing the national anthem and salute the flag at school events. The school staff argued that the punishments, ranging from suspensions and salary reductions to "special retraining" , violated their freedom of thought [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed a resolution Thursday calling for laws against defamation of religion, in preparation for next month's Durban Review Conference on racism, discrimination, and xenophobia. The vote was 23-13 in favor of the resolution. Ahead of Thursday's vote, a number of critics of international defamation of religion legislation urged the [...]
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted Thursday to approve a bill that would permit same-sex marriage in the state. The bill passed by a vote of 186-179, and now moves on to the New Hampshire State Senate . If approved by the Senate and signed into law by New Hampshire Governor John Lynch (D) [...]
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on Thursday ordered hundreds of juvenile convictions to be overturned and records to be expunged without hearing pursuant to the recommendation of a Special Master , in an attempt to rectify "the alleged travesty of juvenile justice" committed by two state judges involved in an alleged kickback scheme. In February, [...]
The corruption trial of former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian opened Thursday, one day after Chen criticized the proceedings as "political persecution." Chen was indicted in December and faces possible life in prison on charges of embezzlement, receiving bribes, forgery, and money laundering. Chen has maintained that the charges against him are politically motivated, alleging that [...]
