The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called for changes to the way Australia deals with asylum seekers. As of August 2013, Australia transfers all individuals seeking asylum to a holding camp in Papua New Guinea. From here, they are processed and eventually resettled outside of Australia. This detention can be [...]
Saudi Guantanamo Bay prisoner Ahmed Muhammed Haza al Darbi on Thursday pleaded guilty to involvement in terrorism-related activities, including the 2002 al Qaeda plot to blow up oil tankers near Yemen. Had al Darbi gone to trial, he faced a potential sentence of life imprisonment. However, the plea agreement stipulates that he is to serve [...]
New York has agreed to reforms that would reduce the use of solitary confinement and ban solitary confinement for prisoners under 18 years old, according to court documents released on Wednesday. Under the agreement, the state will immediately halt the use of solitary confinement for youth, pregnant inmates, and developmentally disabled and intellectually challenged prisoners. [...]
The European Commission on Thursday commenced legal proceedings against the UK for failing to maintain air level standards. According to air pollution legislation , nitrogen dioxide limits should have been met by January 1, 2010, unless given an extension until January 1, 2015. The directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air in Europe requires [...]
Egypt put three Al Jazeera journalists on trial on Thursday for allegedly aiding a terrorist organization and spreading false news. All three men, Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Al Jazeera has stated that the accusations are absurd and the three men are innocent. The Egyptian government contends [...]
A US District Judge on Wednesday said that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , who is being held at a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay can answer written questions from the lawyers preparing to defend Sulaiman Abu Ghaith , Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law, at his New York City terrorism trial in March. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan gave [...]
A judge for the Third Judicial District Court of Nebraska on Wednesday struck down a law that allowed the controversial Keystone XL pipeline to pass through the state. The law, LB 1161 was passed by the Nebraska legislature in 2012 and amended the Major Oil Pipeline Siting Act (MOPSA) allowing an alternative method for oil [...]
Nine same-sex couples on Wednesday filed suit in a state court in Denver, Colorado challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The couples argued that the ban violates their constitutional rights of equal protection and due process. Amendment 43 of Colorado’s state constitution, passed by voters in 2006, defines marriage as being “only a union [...]
The South Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit individuals from having abortions based on the gender of the fetus. Representative Jenna Haggar is the lead sponsor of the bill, which opponents argue will be impossible to enforce. The bill would make gender-based abortion a Class 6 felony, carrying a [...]
The Cortes Generales , the bicameral parliament of Spain, on Thursday rejected a proposed referendum that would have allowed the Catalonia region to vote on whether the autonomous community should become an independent state or remain a part of Spain. The referendum, scheduled for November 9, 2014 was voted down by 272 deputies from the [...]
