Lawyers for five Cubans jailed for spying in the United States urged a federal appeals court Monday to order a new trial in the case, arguing that the defendants were convicted on flimsy evidence. Lawyers representing the so-called Cuban Five – Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labanino and Gerardo Hernandez – also argued [...]
The Supreme People's Court of China has determined that the death penalty can be ordered in cases where a defendant is convicted of sabotaging electricity supply in a manner which leads to serious injury of at least three people or the death of at least one person. In a new judicial interpretation made public Monday, [...]
US Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan has pleaded not guilty to cruelty and maltreatment and other charges stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal . Jordan is the only commissioned officer charged in connection to the abuse that occurred at the Iraqi prison. Before Jordan entered his plea Monday, prosecutors dropped two charges [...]
Lawyers for detained Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari have been informed that she will be released from custody once $320,000 in bail has been paid, an anonymous source from the Iranian judiciary said Tuesday. Though one of Esfandiari's lawyers told Reuters that he has not yet been informed that Esfandiari has been granted bail, the source [...]
The Federal Court of Australia ruled Tuesday that Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Kevin Andrews improperly revoked the work visa of Mohammad Haneef , who was detained by Australian authorities last month in connection with the attempted UK car bomb terror attacks . Andrews revoked Haneef's work visa and placed him under "immigration detention" shortly [...]
Haneef v. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Federal Court of Australia, August 21, 2007 . Read the text of the decision. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
Fifteen former Iraqi officials went on trial Tuesday for crimes against humanity for their role in attacks against the Iraqi civilian population following the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The defendants – including Saddam Hussein's cousin and former Iraqi defense minister Ali Hassan al-Majid , Hussein's personal secretary and bodyguard Abed Hameed Hmoud, former defense minister [...]
US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Monday threatened to hold top members of the Bush administration in contempt if they continue to refuse to turn over subpoenaed information about the warrantless domestic surveillance program . The Senate Judiciary Committee issued formal subpoenas for the surveillance documents on June 27, setting an initial [...]
The Election Commission of Thailand on Monday certified the results of Sunday's constitutional referendum , reporting that 56.69 percent of voters approved the draft constitution put forth by the country's military-backed interim government. Although the measure passed, experts predict that the sizable vote against the constitution – 41.37 percent voted "no" – means that the [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday temporarily blocked organic grocer Whole Foods Market from taking over rival Wild Oats Markets , saying that it needed more time to consider the proposed acquisition. The court stressed that its move should not be construed as a ruling on the merits, [...]
