Advocacy groups, such as Human Rights Watch (HRW), are teaming up with various Central African groups to form a coalition urging the Central African Republic‘s (CAR) transitional parliament to adopt a Special Criminal Court in order to expedite justice for victims of atrocities within the country. The parliament, known as the National Transition Council, is [...]
The Sri Lankan Parliament on Thursday passed the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Bill aimed at protecting the rights of criminal victims and witnesses. Under the new bill, witnesses would receive fair treatment and privacy from judicial and investigatory authorities; protections against harassment, intimidation and coercion; and women and minor [...]
Four UN human rights experts briefed the Security Council on Friday regarding a new report on human rights violations in war-torn Syria. Heading the Commission of Inquiry was Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic , who called for greater international action to end the abuses [...]
The Supreme Court of Texas on Thursday granted an emergency stay of two trial court decisions in Travis County, which held that an amendment to Texas’s constitution banning same-sex marriage violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The stay will block same-sex couples from obtaining [...]
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York decided on Thursday that American Express’ practice of barring merchants from asking customers to use one credit card over another violated the Sherman Antitrust Act . All credit and debit cards companies require merchants to pay them a fraction [...]
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Thursday was handed a 15-day prison sentence for distributing leaflets attempting to publicize an “anti-crisis” demonstration that is planned to take place March 1. As Navalny was escorted out of the courthouse after given his sentence, he encouraged citizens of Russia to attend the demonstration by telling reporters, “e [...]
The Kansas Senate on Friday approved a bill that would prohibit a common second trimester abortive procedure by redefining it as “dismemberment abortions”. The bill was prepared by the National Right to Life Committee and encountered overwhelming support on the Senate floor, passing in a 31-9 vote. The Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act [...]
Rights groups called Friday for urgent action to protect private calls and online correspondence after allegations that US and British agencies hacked into the networks of Gemalto, a major SIM card manufacturer. Edward Snowden allegedly leaked documents to The Intercept , an online news source, claiming the National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on Tuesday dismissed a claim filed by four death row inmates challenging the constitutionality of an Ohio law that provides confidentiality for companies that supply lethal injection drugs. The inmates claimed that House Bill 663 violated First Amendment rights on freedom of [...]
A federal court on Wednesday approved a settlement agreement between the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a class action lawsuit over the health care system within Arizona prisons. The agreement requires the ADC to meet more than 100 health care performance measures , including monitoring individuals with [...]
