Maina Kiai , UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, warned Tuesday that the Egyptian government “seems to be systematically attacking civil society in an effort to silence its voice.” Specifically targeting non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders, the Egyptian government has continued to crackdown on rights that has persisted since [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard argument in the cases of Samsung Electronics Co. v. Apple, Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado and Manrique v. United States . In Samsung Electronics, Samsung Corporation challenged a $400 million verdict in Apple’s favor that held Samsung’s copying of the graphical user interface and front screen of the iPhone infringed [...]
The Brazil Chamber of Deputies on Monday voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would limit government spending to counteract the country’s alarming economic downturn. The Brazilian population has been struggling with rising unemployment rates and an overwhelming recession, and government efforts to stabilize the economy and decrease national debt have been restrained by [...]
A federal judge on Monday partially granted a request by the Florida Democratic Party to extend the state’s voter registration deadline in light of Hurricane Matthew evacuations. The party filed a federal lawsuit on Sunday against Governor Rick Scott requesting that the deadline be extended a full week to give citizens ample opportunity to register. [...]
A federal judge on Friday signed an order permanently preventing Louisiana from enforcing a state law that required websites to age-verify every Internet user before providing access to non-obscene material that could be deemed harmful to any minor. The 2015 Louisiana law required that “any person or entity in Louisiana that publishes material harmful to [...]
Brazil’s federal prosecutors filed new corruption charges against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday. Da Silva is already involved in two other corruption investigations. In September a Brazilian judge accepted charges against da Silva that include complaints that he illegally received almost USD $1.1 million in improvements and expenses from a construction [...]
According to a report released Monday, the Obama administration conducted a $1.3 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia last year despite warnings that such contribution to the country’s activities could implicate the US for war crimes. The information was discovered through current and former government officials as well as documents obtained through the Freedom of [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Monday reiterated a call for an international investigative body in Yemen to handle allegations of violations of international human rights laws . following an attack on a funeral over the weekend. Zeid expressed frustration in his message as he has pushed the UN Human [...]
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault stated Monday that France intends to pursue avenues for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to initiate an investigation into the alleged war crimes committed by Syrian and Russian forces in Aleppo. Syria is not a member of the ICC, so initiating an investigation may be difficult. “We do not agree [...]
Qatar initiated a public awareness campaign Monday to educate workers about the new labor laws that will take effect in December. Many migrant workers are employed in Qatar, and the new laws are intended to make it easier for workers to change and leave jobs. The kafala employee sponsorship system is being replaced with legislation [...]
