JURIST Guest Columnist David Harris of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law says that in light of the damage done to the justice system, our collective belief in the rule of law, and to the persons and families involved, seven years imprisonment is not nearly enough punishment for two Pennsylvania judges who took kickbacks [...]
Egyptian authorities in Cairo released imprisoned political opposition leader Ayman Nour late Wednesday for medical reasons. Egypt's public prosecutor Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud unexpectedly announced the release of nine prisoners for medical reasons, including Nour. Only two days prior, Nour's wife expressed her belief that her husband would be kept in jail beyond July 2009, his earliest [...]
A five-judge panel of the UK's Law Lords ruled unanimously Wednesday that Islamic cleric Abu Qatada could be deported to Jordan despite fears he might be tortured upon his arrival. Qatada, accused of being one of Osama bin Laden's chief associates in Europe, faces terrorism charges in Jordan, which his lawyers say are based on [...]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Wednesday that her cabinet had agreed on a draft bill that would allow the government to forcibly nationalize some ailing financial institutions. The bill apparently targets Hypo Real Estate (HRE) , a holding company that, despite receiving over 87 billion euros in bailout money, has not recovered. Merkel said Monday [...]
The Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies , the lower house of the nation's parliament, on Wednesday approved the European Union (EU) reform pact known as the Treaty of Lisbon . The approval brings the treaty closer to full ratification by the EU's 27 member states, though it still must pass the nation's Senate , be [...]
A panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Wednesday reversed an October district court order that would have provided for the release of 17 Uighur Guantanamo Bay detainees into the US. Lawyers for the detainees had argued that the Uighur's continued detention was improper, but the DC Circuit agreed with [...]
Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga said Tuesday that the country has been granted two additional months to form a special tribunal to hear cases surrounding Kenya's 2007 post-election violence . Odinga said that Koffi Annan , who facilitated the power-sharing agreement between Odinga and Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki , would give the country until May [...]
The Judiciary of Iran announced Tuesday that it has submitted proposed legislation to the Iranian Parliament recommending substantial changes to the treatment of juvenile offenders in Iran . The legislation seeks to amend the classification of minors into three age groups – 7-12, 12-15, and 15-18 – to allow for more appropriate sentencing of offenders. [...]
The French National Assembly approved a bill Tuesday to provide government subsidies to individuals who temporarily leave work to care for dying relatives. The proposed law states that family members will be paid a "daily allowance to accompany a dying person" for a maximum of three weeks. Supporters of the bill said in a session [...]
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged financier Allen Stanford Tuesday with orchestrating a fraudulent $8 billion investment scheme by selling certificates of deposits on the promise of improbably high interest rates. Stanford, through his investment companies – Stanford International Bank (SIB), Stanford Group Company (SGC) and Stanford Capital Management (SCM) – is accused [...]
