[JURIST] Former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks [JURIST news archive] was released from an Australian prison Saturday. In an statement [text] read by his lawyer, Hicks asked the media and public to respect his agreement not to speak on a range of issues before March 30, 2008, a condition of his release. He thanked lawyers, rights groups, politicians, and others "who strove to uphold the ideal of a free trial for an Australian citizen." AP has more.

Hicks will be subject to an interim control order [JURIST report], issued last week by an Australian judge. Under the terms of the order, he will not be allowed to leave the country, must report to police three times per week, and will be subject to a midnight to 6 AM curfew. Hicks was transferred to Australia [JURIST report] in May to serve the remainder of his nine-month prison sentence at a maximum security prison near his hometown of Adelaide, South Australia. He pleaded guilty to a charge of supporting terrorism [JURIST reports] before a US military commission in March after spending more than five years in US custody since being captured in Afghanistan.

[JURIST] A federal judge on Friday blocked an Oregon law [HB 2007 text] that would allow same-sex couples to enter into contractual domestic partnerships [JURIST news archive]. The law was scheduled to take effect on January 1, but US District Judge Michael Mosman suspended it, setting a hearing for February 1 to decide whether or not to permanently block the measure. Opponents have challenged the verification process [complaint, PDF; fact sheet, PDF] that disqualified several thousand signatures, submitted in an attempt to force a referendum on the November 2008 ballot. AP has more. The Register-Guard has local coverage.

In October, opponents failed to have the issue put to popular vote, falling short by 116 signatures [Oregonian report], clearing the way for the law to take effect [JURIST report] in the new year as scheduled. The measure was passed by the Oregon Senate in May and the Oregon House [JURIST reports] in April. Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed [JURIST report] the bill into law in May.

[JURIST] South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) [official website] Friday served an indictment on politician Jacob Zuma [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], charging him with corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering. His trial is scheduled to begin in August. Earlier this month, Zuma was elected leader of the ruling African National Congress [party website], putting him in position to become the country's next president. Zuma's supporters have dismissed the charges [JURIST report] as politically motivated.

Zuma has been facing corruption allegations [BBC timeline] and other charges for several years; he was first charged with corruption in 2005, but those charges were later dismissed [JURIST report] because prosecutors failed to follow proper procedures. Zuma was also charged with rape in late 2005 and was acquitted at trial in April 2006. Prosecutors have not provided details about the current charges, but they are believed to be connected to bribe money Zuma allegedly received from Thint, a French arms manufacturer. AP has more. Reuters has additional coverage. From South Africa, the Times has local coverage.