A UN human rights expert called Thursday on the Chinese government and relevant businesses to ensure transparency in the investigation of a chemical disaster in Tianjin, including both the causes and effects of the explosion. “The Chinese authorities should also assess whether China’s laws for hazardous substances and wastes are consistent with international human rights [...]
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed the Youth Mental Health Protection Act into law on Thursday prohibiting licensed therapists from attempting to change the sexual orientation of anyone under 18 years of age. State Senator Daniel Biss , one of the sponsors of the legislation, released a statement on Friday calling the bill an important step [...]
Senegal’s highest court on Thursday upheld a graft conviction and six-year prison term against Karim Wade, the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade . Karim Wade, who had several portfolios within his father’s government and presidential ambitions of his own, was convicted in March for amassing a personal fortune with public funds. The supreme court [...]
An independent UN human rights expert on Friday commended Mauritania for adopting a new law that establishes harsher sentences for slavery crimes, urging full implementation. The law adopted last week by the Mauritanian National Assembly doubles prison terms for slavery convictions, declared slavery a crime against humanity, and created tribunals to handle slavery prosecution cases. [...]
A group of UN human rights experts on Thursday condemned an Azerbaijan court for the convictions of prominent human rights activists Leyla and Arif Yunus. The experts called the convictions “politically motivated and representative of the continuing repression of independent civil society in Azerbaijan.” The court sentenced Leyla Yunus on August 13 to eight-and-a-half years [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday denied a request by former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell to remain out of prison while he appeals his corruption conviction to the US Supreme Court . With this ruling , McDonnell will most likely have to report to prison to begin serving his two-year [...]
Former Iranian prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was acquitted Wednesday of murder charges relating to the 2009 killing of three prisoners which he oversaw. The prisoners were detained in 2009 for protesting against former President Mahmous Ahmedinejad’s disputed re-election – an issue that drew significant global criticism aimed not only at Iran’s government, but also the treatment [...]
Tianjin Mayor Huang Xingguo said Wednesday that the owners of the hazmat facility that exploded in the city last week used their political connections get the facility built despite violating a great deal of safety rules. One rule barred storage of hazardous chemicals within 3,200 feet of residential areas, much farther than the facility was [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Wednesday refused to rehear Governor Rod Blagojevich’s corruption case. In 2013 Blagojevich was found guilty on 18 charges of corruption in his second trial and ultimately sentenced to a 14-year prison term . In 2013, Blagojevich filed an appeal with the Seventh Circuit challenging Blagojevich’s [...]
The Israel Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended the administrative detention of a Palestinian man who has been on a two-month hunger strike. The prisoner, Mohammad Allan, had been on a hunger strike since June 16 in order to protest his detention, which was set to last indefinitely. The court decided that he no longer posed [...]
