[JURIST] Leading Friday's international brief, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque [official profile in Spanish] announced Friday that Cuba rejected the UN Human Rights Commission [official website] resolution calling on Cuba [government website] to allow a special envoy to visit the island nation to investigate abuses. Cuba has been subject to an annual condemnation from the UN Human Rights Commission, but has never allowed a special envoy to visit the island. Cuba claims that the resolution from the Commission represents nothing more than US political displeasure with Cuba, and asserts that its human rights record is satisfactory. BBC News has more.

In other international legal news …

• The Russian Duma [government website in Russian] approved amendments to Russia's penitentiary code that target convicted terrorists. The amendments require that individuals convicted of terrorism or other serious criminal offenses be housed in penitentiaries outside of their native region and the region in which they committed the crime. Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Security Viktor Ilyukhin said that the amendments were necessary to keep inmates from retaining the criminal contacts they have built up in their native regions. Itar-Tass has local coverage.
  
• Lebanese officials have begun the process of appointing a new Prime Minister to lead the country through the national elections scheduled for May. Lebanon President Emile Lahoud [official profile] held meetings with members of Lebanon's Parliament [government website] Friday to go through a list of possible candidates for the position. Lebanon has been in a state of flux since the assassination of its former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri [JURIST report] on February 14 and the resignation of Prime Minister Omar Karami [JURIST report] later that month. Opposition parties were joined by the US in calling for the elections to proceed on time. The major opposition political parties believe that they will be able to win a majority in the current pro-Syrian legislature. Reuters has more.

2:31 PM ET – AP is reporting that Lebanese President Lahoud has named pro-Syrian lawmaker Najib Mikati as prime minister.