[JURIST] Leading Monday's international brief, the Law Society of Kenya [advocacy website] has said that it is initiating a private lawsuit against three senior Kenyan government officials for their part in last week's police raid [JURIST report] on the Standard Group's journalistic offices. The suit names the attorney general, Interior Minister John Michuki, and Police Commissioner Hussein Ali as representatives of the government order initiating the raids and calls on Ali to arrest the four mercenaries caught on tape during the raid, who are alleged to be on the government payroll. Ali returned to Nairobi on Monday and told reporters [Standard report] that he had been "kept unaware" of the raid and that none of his senior officials had briefed him of the intent to force entry into the Standard Group's headquarters and seize documents and computer hard-drives. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Kenya [JURIST news archive]. KBC has local coverage.

In other international legal news …

• Human rights activists in Syria and around the world are voicing strong criticism of the Syrian government following a just-confirmed report that the country's first human rights center was closed down under government orders. The center was opened in February with the assistance of the European Union (EU) [official website] and was designed to provide legal advice and information to nationals concerning civil and human rights under Syrian law as well as train national lawyers and government officials in their responsibilities. Syrian activists reported that government officials closed the center because it lacked the proper licensing to remain open, despite apparent government cooperation with the EU in its establishment. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Syria [JURIST news archive]. IRIN News has more.
  
• Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Nepal, Nayan Bahadur Khatri, has alleged that the Nepal government [official website] has ignored NHRC recommendations concerning the continued trend of disappeared persons in Nepal. Khatri told reporters that the NHRC has continually recommended that the government reveal the whereabouts of persons it has arrested and/or detained in the recent political strikes against the dissolution of democratic government [JURIST report] by King Gyanendra [BBC profile] and has criticized the arrest/detention policy as a violation of the basic rights of the Nepalese constitution. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Nepal [JURIST news archive]. eKantipur.com has local coverage.
  
• Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye [BBC profile] will be in court Tuesday to hear the verdict of his criminal trial on charges of rape. The trial, which was supposed to issue a verdict Monday, was delayed to allow for local elections following national elections held at the end of February. Besigye's civil lawyers will be filing legal challenges [JURIST report] to the validity of the election of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni [BBC profile] on charges of voter intimidation and election fraud. Besigye still faces charges on treason for his alleged involvement in an attempt to oust Museveni. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Uganda [JURIST news archive]. Uganda's Daily Monitor has local coverage.