UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour Thursday commended the US Supreme Court for its ruling that federal courts have jurisdiction to review habeas corpus petitions filed by Guantanamo detainees classified as enemy combatants. Arbour, who in August 2007 submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of the detainees, said that the court's "recognition [...]
The Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) , the national army of the republic of Rwanda, said Thursday that it has arrested four of its officers in connection with the killings of 13 clergyman and two civilians during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide . The arrests followed investigations by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the [...]
Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice introduced new federal copyright legislation in the House of Commons Thursday. The reforms update the existing law by taking into account new technologies developed over the last decade and setting tough new penalties for uploading and downloading copyrighted material and breaking "locks" on protected devices like cellphones and DVDs. Prentice [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday released a report outlining plans to give the European Union (EU) a greater role in implementing the rule of law in Kosovo. The report, delivered to the UN Security Council, stated that the UN will scale down its Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) , turning over increased policing and judicial responsibilities [...]
US President George W. Bush Thursday expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court's ruling that federal courts have jurisdiction to review habeas corpus petitions filed by Guantanamo Bay detainees. Bush pledged that administration officials would honor the ruling, but said that they would also study it to determine if other legislation could be passed to better [...]
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Friday said that the proposed version of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) , which will govern the legal status of US troops in Iraq beginning in 2009, violates Iraqi sovereignty. Al-Maliki told reporters that he particularly objects to provisions that would grant total legal immunity to US troops, allow the [...]
The UK shadow Home Secretary resigned his parliamentary seat Thursday in protest at House of Commons passage Wednesday of an anti-terror bill that would allow authorities to detain terror suspects without charge for up to 42 days . Conservative Party frontbencher David Davis called the Labour Party government's bill an "insidious, surreptitious and relentless erosion [...]
Ethiopian human rights practices in the eastern Ogaden region have come under attack in a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) , made public Thursday. The report details atrocities committed by both the Ethiopian military and the ethnic Somali group the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) , who are seeking independence for the Ogaden [...]
The Arizona State Legislature passed legislation Wednesday barring the state from implementing the REAL ID Act of 2005 . The Arizona House voted 51-1 for the bill Wednesday; the Arizona Senate had approved the bill 21-7 on May 6. The bill prohibits the state from participating in or implementing the REAL ID Act, and requires [...]
Zimbabwean police arrested opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Secretary General Tendai Biti Thursday on suspicion of treason. Biti left Zimbabwe after the disputed March 29 elections in which MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai challenged current Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ; police arrested him as soon as he arrived back in the country Thursday. Police suspect [...]
