Russia approves resolution to withdraw from Estonian border treaty
The Russian government approved a resolution Tuesday that authorized its formal withdrawal from the Russian-Estonian border agreements, the next-to-last phase that Russia must complete in order to satisfy international legal standards on the withdrawal from a treaty. The Russian-Estonian...
International brief ~ African Nobel laureates call for AU sanctions against Mugabe
Leading Thursday's international brief, two of Africa's most prominent Nobel laureates have called for the African Union to impose sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe for his continued program of mass evictions in Operation Murambatsvina...
Putin puts Russian prisons under Justice Ministry in rights reform
Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday signed a decree handing control of the country's prisons over to the Russian Ministry of Justice . The move comes in response to pressure from the Council...
Senate report claims Russian officials involved in oil-for-food scam
A US Senate panel reported Monday that Saddam Hussein's government provided Russian officials with millions of dollars in oil rights under the oil-for-food program in a bid to lift UN sanctions against Iraq. The report by...
Russian president Vladimir Putin stressed the need for a law-based society in his annual State of the Nation address on Monday, and encouraging investors to keep their money in Russia. "Tax authorities have no rights...
International brief ~ Zimbabwe Supreme Court says voting not 'fundamental right'
In Thursday's international brief, the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe held Wednesday that while voting was constitutionally protected in the country, it was not a "fundamental right." The ruling was made at a hearing for Zimbabweans who are petitioning the...
Former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky will testify Friday in his fraud and tax evasion trial. According to the latest trial update from Khodorkovsky's defense website, the judge presiding...
Putin warns UN human rights commissioner not to politicize issues
Russian president Vladimir Putin welcomed an international dialogue on human rights issues Thursday during a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour , but warned that rights issues should not be exploited for...
Rights activist Kasparov compares Putin to Caligula for judicial appointment
Former chess champion Garry Kasparov, who now works as a human rights activist, has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating a puppet judiciary to persecute opposition leaders. Kasparov compared Putin's recent appointment of an inexperienced jurist...
Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko will be sworn in as the new Ukrainian president at noon on Sunday. The Ukrainian Parliament voted to approve a Sunday ceremony after the country's Supreme Court rejected...
