[JURIST] US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld [official profile] has canceled plans to fly to Germany in February to attend the Munich Conference on Security Policy [official website], giving rise to speculation that the cancellation is connected with a war crimes complaint [JURIST report] brought against him in the German courts in November and currently under investigation by the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. The lawsuit, launched by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights [advocacy website], accuses Rumsfeld of responsibility for torture and abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. German law permits war crimes prosecution of individuals in Germany notwithstanding their nationality. After the complaint [English translation, PDF; CCR backgrounder] was filed Rumsfeld indicated that he would not come to the Munich conference unless it were dropped or dismissed. Deutsche Press Agentur has more.

[JURIST] Updating a report from earlier today in JURIST's Paper Chase, the official IRNA news agency [media website; English version] is reporting that Gholamhossein Elham, a spokesperson for Iran's Guardian Council, has rejected reports that quoted him saying women could run for president. IRNA quotes Elham as stating "My perspective on the Guardian Council's viewpoint on political and religious 'rejal' is that it has not changed.'' Read the IRNA story. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] A spokesman for Iran's hard-line Guardian Council [BBC backgrounder] indicated Saturday that women can run in June's presidential election [AFP report]. The council ruling clears up an ambiguous aspect of the Iranian constitution [text] which states that the president must be elected from among political "rejal," an Arabic word that can be interpreted as men or the more gender-neutral political personality. The decision marks a distinct turnaround from the Council's previous insistence on the "male" reading of the word "rejal" and a Council spokesman would not elaborate about the change in interpretation. Reformist parties have welcomed the move. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] Voters in the Maldives [BBC country profile] went to the polls Saturday to elect a parliament three weeks after the Indian Ocean tsunami delayed voting. The small island chain has been under the control of Asia's longest serving ruler, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom [official profile] since 1978 and new concerns about intimidation and aid allocation being linked to favorable votes have emerged. While a government spokesman denied charges that the elections were not free or fair, Mohamed Nasheed, a spokesman for the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party [official website] said ten former members of parliament refused to run in the elections due to government intimidation. Nasheed also claimed that rural Maldivians had been made to understand that reconstruction would be linked to voting that favors the current government. AP has more. From the Maldives, the Haveeru Daily has local coverage in English.

[JURIST] The International Organization for Migration [official website] which runs the Iraq Out-of-Country Voting Program [Iraq OCV official website] announced Saturday that it has extended by two full days the registration period for overseas absentee voting in Iraq [JURIST report]. Registration, scheduled to end Sunday, will now continue through Tuesday [Iraq OCV press release] because turnout is currently far below expectations. Fewer than one in ten eligible Iraqis living abroad have registered so far, with some speculation that the Muslim festival of Eid [Wikipedia article], which ends Sunday, may have kept registration low. The Iraq OCV running tally of registration figures indicates that worldwide only 132,000 expatriate Iraqis have registered for the January 30 poll. The extended period will apply to all 74 registrations centers in the 14 countries where Iraqis are able to register and vote, pending host nation approval. This is the second extension of regitration; on Wednesday this week, the daily registration period was extended two additional hours into the evening [Iraq OCV press release] to allow Iraqis to register after 5 PM local time. The Iraq OCV website Saturday carried an urgent appeal to potential voters:

Iraqis abroad…The future of your country needs your vote!

There are only days left to register to make a difference! An Iraqi, who works as a driver between Baghdad and Amman says, “We’re looking forward to the day we can put our mark on Iraq’s future with a mark on a ballot paper. Then maybe our work will change and we’ll start taking people home again.” Today is that day! Make your mark on Iraq’s future with your mark on the ballot paper by REGISTERING TO VOTE!

Don’t lose this historic opportunity to join together as Iraqis living abroad and cast your vote for your country’s future. The Iraqi people count on your vote to preserve their freedom, their dignity and the future of their children. The little time that you take to register and vote in this election will make a difference to the future of Iraq.