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 [...]
Four Thai prosecutors traveled to London Friday to discuss the extradition of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on corruption charges , in order to discuss what evidence is necessary in UK courts to extradite Thaksin and his wife. The Thai lawyers said they would not file a request for Thaksin's extradition during the trip, [...]
The Sterling Heights Police and Fire Retirement System, a public Michigan pension fund, has filed a derivative action alleging misconduct by Mattel , including failing to report toy defects to federal regulators, and in the case of one current and three former directors, engaging in insider trading. The lawsuit claims that Mattel's board of directors [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that he would appoint Judge Mohamed Amin El Mahdi, Judge Erik Mose and Nicolas Michel to the selection panel that will recommend the judges and chief prosecutor for the new Special Tribunal for Lebanon . El Mahdi has served on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Mose [...]
