The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has overturned a $156 million verdict awarded in 2004 by a federal jury to the family of a 17-year-old killed in the West Bank against several US-based charities accused of supporting terrorism. In its opinion Friday, the appeals court ruled that the Boim family failed to [...]

Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Saturday that human rights activist Hu Jia has been detained on charges of inciting subversion of state power . According to the advocacy group, Hu was arrested on Thursday in connection to "his peaceful activities in promoting human rights, including reporting abuses and posting articles to raise public awareness" and [...]

Statement by David Hicks, December 29, 2008 . Read the full text of the statement. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks was released from an Australian prison Saturday. In an statement read by his lawyer, Hicks asked the media and public to respect his agreement not to speak on a range of issues before March 30, 2008, a condition of his release. He thanked lawyers, rights groups, politicians, and others [...]

A federal judge on Friday blocked an Oregon law that would allow same-sex couples to enter into contractual domestic partnerships . The law was scheduled to take effect on January 1, but US District Judge Michael Mosman suspended it, setting a hearing for February 1 to decide whether or not to permanently block the measure. [...]

South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Friday served an indictment on politician Jacob Zuma , charging him with corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering. His trial is scheduled to begin in August. Earlier this month, Zuma was elected leader of the ruling African National Congress , putting him in position to become the country's next [...]

Agents of former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet , were sentenced Friday for their role in the revenge killings of three political dissidents. Fifteen people were convicted in connection with the killings, which came after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the dictator in 1986. The prison terms range from five to 18 years with the [...]

Six French aid workers were flown back to France Friday after they were sentenced to eight years of hard labor by a Chadian court earlier in the week for attempting to kidnap 103 African children. The workers, affiliated with the Zoe's Ark charity, were returned a day after the French Foreign Ministry formally requested that [...]

The interim parliament in Nepal voted Friday to end the nearly 240-year-old monarchy and to turn the nation into a republic. The vote supported an agreement reached earlier this week by representatives of Nepal's leading political parties to abolish the country's monarchy as part of a plan to bring members of Communist Party of Nepal [...]

The Taiwan High Court on Friday upheld the acquittal of former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou on graft charges, clearing the way for Ma to run in Taiwan's presidential elections in March 2008. Ma was acquitted earlier this year by a lower court on charges that he diverted $333,000 of public money into his private back [...]