[JURIST] At least 10,000 supporters of Thailand's former ruling party protested Wednesday against a proposed draft constitution [JURIST report], as an August 19 national referendum looms. Members of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's dissolved Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) [JURIST report] also appeared at the Bangkok rally, organized by the People Power Party, to speak out against the current military-backed government, which seized power in a September 2006 coup [JURIST report]. The proposed constitution was criticized for decreasing populist influence and transferring more power to bureaucrats and the military. Speakers alleged that martial law, which remains in effect in predominately rural areas where Thaksin enjoyed popular support, has prevented the opposition from campaigning on its objections to the draft. Organizers estimated as many as 100,000 were in attendance.

The rally follows a march [JURIST report] earlier this week in support of the draft constitution, organized by interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont [BBC profile] and attended by tens of thousands of people. If approved, the constitution could pave the way for general elections in December. If the draft constitution is rejected, military leaders are authorized under the interim constitution [JURIST report] to revise an earlier constitution. AFP has more.

[JURIST] The Cuban government has released a second imprisoned political dissident in less than a week, the National Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) [El Pais backgrounder, in Spanish] said Wednesday. Labor movement activist Lazaro Gonzalez Adan was imprisoned in 2004 after refusing police orders to remove quotes painted on his home that were deemed critical of the Cuban government; he was sentenced to three years in prison for disrespecting authorities and resisting arrest. Last week, another dissident, former president of the Cuban National Council for Civil Rights Francisco Chaviano Gonzalez [Amnesty backgrounder], was released [JURIST report] after 13 years in prison. Chaviano was sentenced in May 1994 to 15 years for allegedly "revealing state security secrets" and "falsifying public documents" by documenting cases of refugees who disappeared or died trying to flee Cuba, and was one of the longest-held prisoners of conscience [Amnesty backgrounder] in the world.

The CCDHRN estimates that the number of political prisoners in detention has dropped by over 20 percent since acting president Raul Castro assumed duties from Cuban President Fidel Castro [BBC profiles] on July 31, 2006. As of June 30, 2007, a reported 246 political prisoners were being held in Cuba, down from 316 the previous year. Critics deny that the releases of Chaviano and Gonzalez are evidence of changing policy toward dissidents. Opposition proponents continue to report harassment by Cuban police. AP has more.

[JURIST] More than 300 Kenyan journalists marched in the capital city of Nairobi Wednesday, voicing their opposition to a provision in a proposed law that would give courts the authority to force journalists to disclose confidential sources. The provision, part of a proposal to establish an independent council to adjudicate complaints against the media, was introduced in the National Assembly [official website] just before lawmakers voted to approve the bill earlier this month. The journalists are urging Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki [official profile] not to sign the bill into law. Kenyan Attorney General Amos Wako has pledged to advise Kibaki not to enact the law.

Kenyan journalists say confidential sources have allowed the media to expose government scandals, including the Goldenberg affair [BBC report; JURIST report], which involved a bogus gold and diamond import/export business that fleeced government funds during the 24-year rule of former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi [official profile]. AP has more. BBC News has additional coverage.

[JURIST] Jurors in the terror trial of Jose Padilla [JURIST news archive] and co-defendants Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi [GlobalSecurity profiles] began deliberations Wednesday after federal prosecutors and defense lawyers completed closing arguments [JURIST report]. All three defendants are accused [JURIST report] of conspiring to murder US nationals, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and providing material support to terrorists. They face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted on the most serious counts.

On Tuesday, Padilla's lawyers argued [JURIST report] during closing that the government had failed to prove its case against Padilla, saying that Padilla had traveled overseas to study Arabic and did not engage in terrorism as argued by prosecutors. Last week, the presiding judge ruled that jurors could not consider the "defensive jihad" defense [JURIST report], which defense lawyers had argued was consistent with Islam and did not threaten innocent lives. Padilla, a US citizen, was arrested in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and subsequently detained as an "enemy combatant" [JURIST news archive] at a Navy military brig in Charleston, South Carolina. Initially accused of planning to set off a "dirty bomb" in the United States, Padilla went from enemy combatant to criminal defendant when he was finally charged with other offenses in November 2005. Padilla was transferred to civilian custody [JURIST report] in January 2006 and has pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to the charges. AP has more.

[JURIST] Iranian judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi confirmed Wednesday that Iranian authorities have detained journalists Masoud Bastani, Farshed Gorbanpour, and Soheli Assefi, accusing the three of "publishing false statements and lies" about the Islamic Republic of Iran. Jamshidi said that Assefi, who has been detained since August 4 [RSF report], has been granted a $162,000 bail. A judiciary ministry official also told Reuters that Bastani had been released but can still be questioned pursuant to ongoing investigations. Reuters has more.

On Tuesday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) [advocacy website] said it has asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to intercede on behalf [press release] of two Iranian Kurdish journalists who have been sentenced to death [JURIST report] for being "enemies of God." RSF said that the two journalists' "most basic rights were violated as they were barred from court when the sentence was handed down." Last week, Iranian 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi [advocacy website, in Persian] urged the UN Human Rights Council [official website] to press for the release [JURIST report] of Iranian-American scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari [WWC profile]. On Sunday, a senior Iranian judiciary official indicated that prosecutors have completed their investigations [JURIST report] of Esfandiari and Open Institute consultant Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh [OSI press release], but did not elaborate on the prosecutors' decision. AP has more.

[JURIST] US forces in Iraq have detained an additional 5,000 people in the four months since the "troop surge" instituted by the Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) [official website], increasing the number of detainees in American custody from approximately 18,000 to 23,000, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. Detainees held in Iraqi-operated detention facilities have also risen to 60,000, a dramatic increase from the estimated 20,000 detainees [JURIST report] held in March. Army Col. Mark Martins, chief judge advocate for MNF-I commander Gen. David H. Petraeus [official profile], told the Post that detainees under US custody are given a status review every six months, and are held under the Geneva Conventions as opposed to Iraqi domestic law.

The increase in detainees, largely attributed to security plans [AFPS report] instituted since February, has contributed to overcrowding in Iraq prisons [JURIST report] and rising allegations of detainee abuse [JURIST news archive]. The security plans, formally known as "Operation Law and Order," are intended to increase security and stability in Baghdad and Al Anbar province, and were instituted shortly after Petraeus assumed command of the MNF-I. The Washington Post has more.

[JURIST] Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and ranking Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) have asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to postpone its implementation of proposed guidelines intended to limit how federal courts can review state-issued death sentences. In a letter sent to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales obtained by AP Tuesday, the senators warned that any changes to "this complex and heavily litigated area of the law" in which defendants sentenced to death have high stakes must made with care. The new guidelines will limit the amount of time defendants have to file a federal appeal to six months after their conviction, and also impose strict limitations on how long federal judges can take to decide the appeals. States that wish to become eligible for this expedited review process are required to submit an application that will be reviewed by the attorney general, who is tasked under the 2006 renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act [PDF text; JURIST report] with reviewing whether states are providing "adequate counsel" to defendants sentenced to death.

Supporters of the expedited review process say it will counter the delays allegedly imposed by "liberal" federal judges and allow states to execute convicted criminals. Critics say the new guidelines will interfere with judicial review and create an inherent conflict of interest by giving the attorney general, the nation's top prosecutor, the authority to review whether defendants have received a fair trial. Opponents are also concerned with how much scrutiny Gonzales will place on states, as a former US Attorney has accused Gonzales of failing to give enough consideration to the quality of evidence or the recommendations of prosecutors directly involved in a case when pushing for the use of the death penalty [JURIST report]. AP has more.

[JURIST] The Southern African Development Community (SADC) [official website] should deploy observers to monitor the status of human rights in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] urged in a briefing paper [PDF text] released Tuesday. HRW Africa director Peter Takirambudde called on SADC members to "take strong and effective action" [press release] in order "to deal with one of the region's most grave crises" and added that the "SADC's credibility as a real force for change on human rights is on the line here and its leaders should insist on tangible improvements in Zimbabwe." HRW also urged the Zimbabwean government to "conduct prompt, independent, and impartial investigations into all allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention," and the excessive use of force, torture, and other "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment" by government authorities.

HRW has accused Zimbabwean government agents of arbitrarily arresting and beating hundreds of human rights advocates, journalists, and members of the opposition. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum [official website] recently published a report [text; JURIST report] finding that human rights violations have steadily increased in Zimbabwe [JURIST news archive]. The SADC, which will next meet between August 16 and 18, is composed of 14 African states. AP has more.