HR 2863 Amendment No. 1977, Relating to persons under the detention, custody and control of the United States government. Presented by Senator John McCain, September 29 2005; passed by the US Senate October 5, 2005 . Read the full text of the amendment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

A Canadian judicial advisory committee has recommended that detailed court filings should not be available for viewing via the Internet, despite the fact that they are considered "public documents." The committee, comprised of judges on the Canadian Judicial Council , said that while they accept that court opinions and some case information may be found [...]

Six of the most prominent American business groups voiced their concerns over the USA PATRIOT Act to Congress Wednesday, saying the law makes it too simple for the government to obtain confidential business records. The groups wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter saying, "Confidential files — records about our customers or [...]

A committee of Japanese lawmakers met Thursday to discuss amending a pacifist clause in Japan's constitution , which has not been changed since US occupation forces wrote the document in 1947. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the country's top opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , both are in favor of amending the [...]

A lawyer for Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir , imprisoned for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings , on Thursday protested an Australian official's statements with regard to Bashir's sentence as interfering in Indonesian affairs. Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Wednesday that Australia opposed any further reduction in Bashir's 30-month sentence for conspiracy [...]

More than 20 years following the death of Roberto Calvi , the trial of five people accused of murdering him began Thursday in Italy. Calvi, known as "God's Banker" for his financial ties to the Vatican, was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in June 1982 in London. His death was originally ruled a suicide, but [...]

The trial of Saddam Hussein for the 1982 killings of 143 Shiite Muslims in the village of Dujail will likely be postponed, according to a senior British official. Earlier this week, the Iraqi Special Tribunal officially confirmed that the trial would start October 19 , but the unnamed official said Wednesday that Iraq will not [...]

The Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Israeli defense forces' use Palestinian civilians as human shields during arrest raids violated international law. Human rights groups had petitioned to halt the practice after a temporary injunction was previously issued in August 2002. The court held that the use of civilians for such a purpose amounted [...]

The Spanish government has announced plans to expel hundreds of illegal African immigrants who have entered the country over the past week in a series of mass rushes on the country's small border with Morocco in Melilla. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said that illegal immigrants would be returned to [...]

Greece's handling of asylum seekers and immigrants includes incidents of human rights abuses and discrimination, according to a new report from Amnesty International . According to the report, titled Out of the Spotlight , Greece has failed to meet international human rights standards in its asylum and immigration procedures, and people have reported incidents of [...]