The US military announced Saturday that a former senior officer at the Camp Cropper detention camp in Iraq will face a Baghdad court-martial beginning Monday on four counts of violating the United States Code of Military Justice. Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, former commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment, is charged with aiding the [...]
Philippine law enforcement officers are reluctant to use the powers allocated them in a new anti-terrorism law due to strict punishments provided for rights violations, according to a government security advisor speaking to AP Sunday. The controversial Human Security Act of 2007 was signed in March by President Gloria Arroyo. It authorizes the 72-hour detention [...]
Giovanni di Stefano provides exclusive video for JURIST from his current trip to Baghdad, including military protection on the bus from Baghdad International Airport to Baghdad Immigration Control, his trip by armoured vehicle to Camp Cropper to consult clients, and commentary on the situation in Iraq: "When the President of the United States of America [...]
Sri Lankan and visiting UN officials disagreed publicly Saturday on how to approach the country's worsening human rights situation in the midst of ongoing civil conflict. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said at a news conference she would support a possible UNOHCHR monitoring mission as urged by activists. Sri Lankan Human Rights [...]
The Supreme Court of Chile began an investigation Friday into whether Carlos Cerda, the judge who last week indicted the relatives of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet , violated a judiciary rule that "forbids judges from criticizing other judges." Cerda order the arrests of a total of 23 suspects including five of Pinochet's children, his [...]
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Russian human rights activists at the US ambassador's residence in Moscow Saturday to address growing concerns regarding freedom of speech, independence of the judiciary and conditions in the Caucasus region. Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, said that the discussions heavily focused on what [...]
The US military refused to hand over Saddam Hussein's defense minister for execution in September despite Iraqi government demands, TIME magazine reported Friday. An adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told TIME that US officials refused to deliver Sultan Hashem Ahmed al-Jubouri al-Tai from detention at US Camp Cropper to an anticipated September 10 hanging [...]
Myanmar detained four more pro-democracy activists Saturday as part of its ongoing crackdown on opponents of the ruling military junta. The latest detainees include Htay Kywe, Mie Mie (also known as Thin Thin Aye), and Aung Thu, all members of the 1988 Generation Students group . The fourth was activist Ko Ko. Htae Kywe organized [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Friday that US courts have jurisdiction under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) to hear certain tort claims brought by apartheid victims against companies that allegedly collaborated with the South African government in the maintenance of the regime. A number of large corporations – from [...]
Brigid Leahy : "We are pleased with the outcome of the settlement in Menges, et al v. Blagojevich. Our concern has always been for the woman who needs her prescription for contraception filled. The settlement ensures that women in Illinois will continue to have their prescriptions filled without hassle or delay. As long as pharmacies [...]
