The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in Loughrin v. United States , which raises the issue of whether prosecution under the federal government’s anti-bank fraud statute requires proof that the defendant intended to defraud the financial institution and expose it to risk of loss. Counsel for petitioner argued that the US Court [...]
Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh , has been summoned by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry according to a post on her husband’s Facebook page Tuesday. The summons are thought to be in response to a video posted online showing Sotoudeh giving a speech that voices support for what she calls “prisoners of conscience” in Iran. [...]
Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray on Monday signed a bill that would decriminalize marijuana possession in the District of Columbia for up to an ounce. The proposed law would make possession of marijuana a civil violation with a penalty of $25, which is a substantial change from the prior misdemeanor criminal offense which carried a [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of New Mexico ruled Monday that the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause mandates that legally residing immigrants be afforded the same rights to obtain a concealed-carry weapon permit as citizens. Judge M. Christina Armijo held that there was no evidence showing that granting permits to legal [...]
A coalition of 146 Congolese and international human rights organizations released a joint declaration Tuesday urging the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to create new mechanisms in its national justice system for prosecuting war crimes. Specifically, the declaration urged the Congolese government and its president, Joseph Kabila , to establish specialized mixed chambers and adopt [...]
International medical aid group Doctors Without Borders on Tuesday condemned the unsanitary detention conditions of migrants found in Greece without correct paperwork. The report expressed concern over detention facilities where migrants are kept in large numbers in cramped, unsanitary conditions without access to medical care or basic hygiene. “The consequences on these people’s health are [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona refused Monday to block new abortion drug rules, allowing them to take effect Tuesday. Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) had initiated legal action earlier in March against the Arizona Department of Health Services seeking to delay the implementation of [...]
Nepal has imposed increasingly harsh restrictions on Tibetan refugees under strong pressure from China, Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed Tuesday. The statement cites a recent HRW report detailing Nepali authorities’ abuses of Tibetans who have come to the country fleeing persecution in China. The report claims that Nepal has blocked Tibetans trying to cross the [...]
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday strongly condemned the violence against civilians and international forces working to aid the Central African Republic (CAR) . Reports estimate that approximately 2.2 million citizens of CAR require humanitarian aid, with over 650,000 people internally displaced and over 290,000 seeking refuge in neighboring countries. However, international [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) adjourned the trial of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday. Kenyatta was charged in March 2011 with five counts of crimes against humanity as an indirect co-perpetrator of the violence following Kenya’s 2007 elections, which led to more than 1,100 deaths. The Trial Chamber stated that the purpose of the [...]
