UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern for the human rights violations faced by the Yazidi minority in Northern Iraq on Wednesday, stating that actions of the Islamic State (IS) may amount to genocide. Two years ago the IS attacked the Sinjar area in Iraq killing nearly 5,000 individuals. The statement claims that 3,200 Yazidi [...]
US President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 federal inmates on Thursday, the most at one time during his presidency. Sixty-seven of the inmates whose sentences were commuted were serving life sentences for non-violent drug crimes. The most recent grant of clemency highlights Obama’s call to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize petitions [...]
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland arrived in Turkey Wednesday to meet with a variety of Turkish, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, urging respect for the rule of law. Following the first meeting in Ankara, Jagland stated that “here has been too little understanding in Europe about the challenges [...]
A report released on Sunday by the Kaduna State Government stated, among other things, that “he force used by the Nigerian Army resulting in the death of the 349 IMN members was disproportionate” and called for those involved to be “brought to trial before a ourt of competent urisdiction.” The report details the clashes between [...]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced a new process for selecting Supreme Court justices that will allow all qualified individuals to apply for the position. Trudeau stated that, “or the first time, any qualified Canadian lawyer or judge may apply for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada through the Office of the [...]
The Delaware Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state’s death penalty statute is unconstitutional. Citing a January US Supreme Court decision that found that Florida’s death penalty scheme violated the Sixth Amendment , the Delaware court found that the law gives judges too great a role in imposing the death penalty. The court concluded: There [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of North Dakota on Monday barred the state from enforcing its voter identification law. Judge Daniel Hovland issued a preliminary injunction, finding that the strict law had made it difficult or impossible for many Native Americans to vote. Under previous voter ID legislation, voters could [...]
Chinese authorities released a prominent human rights lawyer from detention on Monday. Wang Yu was released on bail after confessing to “subverting state power” and rejecting awards from the American Bar Association and Ludovic Trarieux Prize for her work defending human rights, saying that they were intended to “blacken the reputation of the Chinese government.” [...]
The prime minister of Cambodia filed a lawsuit alleging defamation against an opposition leader and opposition party leader on Monday. Primer Minister Hun Sen’s lawyer filed suit against Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Sam Rainsy for posting on Facebook that “the fatal shooting of Kem Ley today is another terrorist act organized by the [...]
Controversial new security laws took effect Monday in Malaysia. Backed by Prime Minister Najib Razak , the National Security Act will allow government authorities to declare martial law in areas deemed to be under a security threat. Police will be able to conduct warrantless searches, seize property and impose curfews. Najib has defended the legislation [...]
