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UN rights expert questions US drone strike policy
The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions published a report , released Tuesday, asking the US to clarify its policy of targeted killing of terrorism suspects through raids and unmanned drone strikes. Christof Hey (More) |
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Bangladesh court sentences 611 individuals for 2009 mutiny
A special military court in Dhaka on Monday convicted 611 of the 621 accused in the 13th Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Battalion for their participation in the February 2009 mutiny [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive]. Only 10 soldiers were acquitted (More) |
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Rwanda genocide community courts officially conclude operations
The Rwandan community courts set up to hear genocide-related cases, known as gacaca courts [official website; BBC backgrounder] officially concluded their 10-year operation on Monday. The gacaca process has been praised by the UN [The New Times repo (More) |
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Eritrea failing to address human rights violations: UN rights chief
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Monday condemned Eritrea [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] for its failure to address the human rights violations in the country. In her opening statement to the 20th Special Session of th (More) |
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UN suspends mission in Syria
The UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) suspended its mission to supervise the implementation of a peace plan in the country on Saturday. Major General Robert Mood, head of the UNSMIS mission, blamed the group's exit from Syria [BBC background (More) |
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British Columbia high court strikes down law forbidding assisted suicide
The Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled Friday that provisions of Canada's Criminal Code that forbid physician-assisted suicide unjustly violate the rights to life, liberty and equality. In her ruling, Justice Lynn Smith acknowledged that phy (More) |
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UK court rules anorexic woman can be fed against her will
A judge for the UK Court of Protection ruled Friday that a 32-year-old woman who suffers from anorexia , a fear of gaining weight resulting in decreased consumption of food, can be fed against her will. Justice Peter Jackson found that, by assessin (More) |
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Violence against civilians prevalent in Syria: UN experts
UN Special Rapporteurs on summary executions, Christof Heyns , and on torture, Juan Mendez , on Friday condemned the violence against peaceful protesters, journalists and human rights defenders in Syria. Despite the government's promise of reform t (More) |
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Syria using sexual violence as torture: HRW
Syrian forces are sexually abusing men, women and children who have been detained during the ongoing conflict, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Friday. HRW interviewed more than a dozen former Syrian detainees who were sexually assaulted by eithe (More) |
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Same-Sex Civil Marriage Gives Deference to Church of England Canon Laws
JURIST Guest Columnist Paul Johnson, Anniversary Reader of the University of York, says the British government's proposed allowance of same-sex civil marriages, but not religious marriages, shows deference and support for the Church of England's cano (More) |
Acts of Union creates Great Britain
On May 1, 1707, the two Acts of Union went into effect, implementing the Treaty of Union and thereby uniting the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The Union with Scotland Act was passed by the Parliament of England in 1706, and the Scottish Parliament promulgated the Union with England Act.
Learn more about the Acts of Union from the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
