Chinese Human Rights Defenders Friday criticized the Chinese government for continuing to persecute and intimidate human rights defenders such as lawyers, academics and journalists in a report issued on the anniversary of the 1919 May Fourth Movement . The report, the group's second annual, lists several activists who have been imprisoned or otherwise prosecuted for [...]
Freedom of the press suffered serious setbacks around the world in 2006, according to a new report from Freedom House . The study, Freedom of the Press 2007: A Global Survey of Media Independence, noted particular causes for concern in the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Russia. Overall, the report examined [...]
Former US Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified Thursday that seven of eight prosecutors at the center of the US Attorney firing scandal were performing their jobs well before being dismissed, and that the eighth was "a fine guy" but "had management problems in office." During a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing , Comey also said [...]
The convicted assassin and terrorist known popularly as "Carlos the Jackal" – Venezuelan-born Ilich Ramirez Sanchez – may soon be forced to stand trial in France for his alleged participation in four deadly terror bombings in 1982 and 1983, according to a French judicial official speaking on condition of anonymity Friday. Jean-Louis Bruguiere , France's [...]
The Romanian Constitutional Court Thursday upheld an opposition-sponsored bill making it easier to remove the country's president by reducing the number of popular votes required for impeachment. Existing legislation requires more than half of Romania's citizens to support removal, making impeachment almost impossible. President Traian Basescu was suspended by the opposition-dominated parliament last month for [...]
The US House of Representatives Thursday approved a bill to expand federal hate crimes legislation to include violent attacks against people based on gender or sexuality. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 broadens the definition of a hate crime and also makes it easier for federal law enforcement to become involved. [...]
Lawyers for the Canadian government said in an affidavit Thursday that Canada and Afghanistan have formally signed a new agreement allowing for monitoring of prisoners transferred from Canadian to Afghan custody as a safeguard against torture and abuse. Following submission of the affidavit, a Federal Court judge in British Columbia halted an injunction action brought [...]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Thursday ruled that Poland violated the rights of a group of gay rights activists by refusing to authorize a 2005 rally in Warsaw. The Polish government rejected the group's application to hold a march because the group did not present a plan to alleviate traffic congestion. The march [...]
A former Guantanamo Bay detainee who was arrested by authorities upon being returned to his home country of Morocco has been released from custody, relatives reported. Criminal charges against Ahmed Errachidi were dropped after he appeared before a judge Wednesday, according to a lawyer with advocacy group Reprieve , who was representing Errachidi. Errachidi lived [...]
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) announced Thursday that it has formed a coalition with a small opposition Motherland Party of Turkey (ANAP) to pass a series of constitutional amendments that would change Turkey's system for electing its president. Under the proposed reforms, the president would be elected by a direct vote rather than [...]
