A coalition of Thai democracy activists and academics Tuesday called for newly appointed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to lift the martial law imposed on the country by the military leaders who seized power from Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup on September 19. The so-called Confederation for Democracy argued in a letter to [...]
A group of four UN human rights envoys reported Tuesday that Israel and Hezbollah both broke international humanitarian law during the 34-day Middle East conflict . Secretary-General Kofi Annan's representative on displaced people Walter Kaelin, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment [...]
The US military commission expected to try Australian Guantanamo detainee David Hicks will not allow evidence coerced through torture, Australian Attorney General Philip Ruddock told ABC News on Tuesday. Ruddock added that "sleep deprivation is ordinarily not regarded as torture," however, if a commission were to deem it as such, any evidence retrieved as a [...]
Microsoft filed an appeal with the European Court of First Instance on Tuesday, contesting the $357 million fine imposed against it by the European Commission in July for violations of antitrust laws. Microsoft also appealed the 2004 European Union antitrust ruling which resulted in the fines. The fine was the first the EU had levied [...]
The verdict in the Dujail crimes against humanity case against Saddam Hussein has been postponed despite previous expectations that it would be delivered October 16 , the court trying the case announced Tuesday. The court said it decided to postpone the verdict in order to reserve time "for the judges' review of the evidence." Although [...]
The FBI Tuesday continued an investigation into possible sex crimes by Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) that may lead to charges under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 , a bill Foley co-sponsored. Under the law, persons found to be "sex offenders" are required to register their name, social security number, address, [...]
Elisa Massimino : "Last week, Congress adopted legislation governing the trial and treatment of detainees that is inconsistent both with the laws of war and the U.S. Constitution. On the one hand, Congress rejected an administration proposal to explicitly downgrade the humane treatment requirements of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, making it clear [...]
The US and UK governments have been discussing the release of nine British residents currently being held at the US prison base in Guantanamo Bay , but the British government has so far refused to accept the men, saying that US demands for continued surveillance of the prisoners after their hand-over are unnecessary and unworkable, [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that European companies may pay their male employees more in wages based on years of service even though women in the same positions may have less seniority due to childcare issues. The case was brought in 2001 against Great Britain's Health and Safety Executive by a British [...]
Lawyers representing 25 detainees in US custody at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan filed a habeas corpus petition Monday calling for their release and permission to meet with attorneys, two requests not afforded to terrorist suspects under controversial detainee legislation approved by the US Congress last week. The Center for Constitutional Rights filed the petition on [...]
