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Bahrain king lifts state of emergency
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced on Sunday that the three-month state of emergency put in place in mid-March in response to growing unrest, will be lifted two weeks early. The state of emergency was originally scheduled to expire (More) |
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UN rights chief urges Bahrain to free detained protesters
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday urged the government of Bahrain to release detained activists and exercise restraint against protesters. Pillay called on leaders to "urgently conduct an independent, impartial investi (More) |
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Bahrain protesters sentenced to death over police killings
A court in Bahrain on Thursday sentenced four protesters to death for their roles in the killing of two police officers. Three others were sentenced to life in prison . The killings were committed last month during mass anti-government protests. Rig (More) |
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Tunisia court drops charges in case that triggered protests across Middle East
A Tunisian court on Tuesday dropped charges against a police officer who incited protests in several Arab countries when she allegedly slapped a local fruit vendor. Police woman Fedia Hamdi was accused of slapping Mohamed Bouazizi in December in a (More) |
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In the Shadow of the Law
JURIST Guest Columnist David Crane of Syracuse University College of Law says International justice is beginning to require more accountability from heads of state because of new technologies which are beginning to reveal previously undetected war cr (More) |
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Bahrain rights leader to face military questioning over detainee photos
Bahraini authorities said Monday that the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights will face questioning by a military prosecutor over allegations that he tampered with photos of a detainee who died in custody. Nabeel Rajab posted a link on his (More) |
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US State Department releases 2010 annual rights reports
The US Department of State (DOS) on Friday released the 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices . The report outlined three prevailing trends that shaped human rights in 2010. These included the growth of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) (More) |
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Human rights organizations criticize rampant abuses in Bahrain
Human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Doctors Without Borders (DWB) criticized [HRW press release; DWB press release] Bahrain on Friday for rampant human rights abuses related to anti-government protests. HRW deputy Midd (More) |
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UN rights chief condemns Syria for repression of protesters
UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Navi Pilay on Saturday urged the Syrian government to heed to the demands of protesters instead of responding with violence. Pilay warned that continued repression of the Syrian people would only lead to more a (More) |
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Syria government to consider ending emergency law
An adviser for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday announced that the government would consider lifting the country's 48-year-old state of emergency law and would work to better protect citizens' human rights. Presidential spokesperson But (More) |
Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance
On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools.
The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was more recently the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life offers more Pledge of Allegiance resources.
