[JURIST] Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Friday that Italy is not bound by last week's European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) [official website] ruling [judgment, in French; JURIST report] that displaying crucifixes in a public school classroom violates the European Convention on Human Rights [text, PDF]. Berlusconi's remarks were made on the same day that the Council of Ministers gave its approval [press release, in Italian] to appeal the decision. Berlusconi went so far as to say [Corriere della Sera report, in Italian] that even if Italy loses its appeal of Lautsi v. Italy, he considers it to be disrespectful and Italy would not be coerced into upholding it. The actual decision recognizes a violation of Article 2 of Protocol I and Article 9 of the rights convention and mandates that Italy must pay 5000 euros to the complainant Lautsi for moral damages. The decision is not explicit about any measure Italy must take in regards to crucifixes in public places. There has been widespread public outcry [Il Giornale report, in Italian] in Italy over the decision from across the political spectrum, and responses have included suggestions of holding a referendum on the subject.

Tension between secularism and religious values continues to drive the controversy behind display of religious symbols across Europe. In Spain, the subject of crucifixes in public schools continues to be controversial [El Pais report, in Spanish] with the government abstaining from mandating their removal and local court decisions mandating their removal. In March, Bulgaria approved [IslamOnline report] a law to ban religious symbols in schools, including clothing items like the hijab. In 2004, France banned religious clothing and symbols in public schools [JURIST report]. A German court has upheld a similar ban [JURIST report].

[JURIST] Federal authorities have filed charges [press release] against 14 people in connection with insider trading at the hedge fund company Galleon Group [corporate website], weeks after the arrest [JURIST report] of the company's founder. An investigation by the FBI allegedly revealed more than $20 million in illegal profits and led to criminal charges [charging documents] against hedge fund managers, analysts, and lawyers involved in the scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [official website] also filed civil charges [complaint, PDF] against 13 individuals and companies alleging more than $33 million in illicit gains related to Galleon Group. Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara [official website] said that the charges showed the government's focus on white collar prosecution.

When we announced our first arrests three weeks ago, I said this case should be a wake-up call for Wall Street. Today the alarm bells have only grown louder. Over the last three weeks, we have charged 20 defendants with more than $40 million worth of alleged insider trading, and our investigation is ongoing. When criminal activity is your business model, business as usual has to stop.

[JURIST] The Constitutional Court [official website] of Taiwan ruled Friday that a law penalizing prostitutes and not their clients is unconstitutional because it undermines equality under the country's constitution [text]. The Social Order and Maintenance Act will have to be amended to meet constitutional fairness requirements, but will remain in effect two years from the date of the decision. Taiwan is currently reevaluating [Reuters report] treatment of prostitution under the laws of the island, and perhaps including such measures as establishing zones in which prostitution would be legal.

Taiwan regulated [Kyodo report] prostitution until 1997, when it was banned following an initiative by then-Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian [BBC profile; JURIST news archive]. The system that allowed licensed prostitutes to continue to work while they transitioned to different occupations was only phased out in 2001.

[JURIST] Iranian officials covered up the sexual assault of detainees held after the disputed June 12 presidential election [JURIST news archive], Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Friday. HRW documented [AP report] the rape and sexual assault of three protesters at the hands of Iranian security personnel, including one case which was accompanied by a medical examiner's report. HRW claims that officials at the Tehran hospital that treated a 27-year-old activist for injuries suffered while in custody, including those indicative of forced sexual contact, tried to destroy the physician's report. The allegations of detainee mistreatment came days after the arrest of 109 [Reuters report] supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] during clashes with police [PBS report] at rallies held to mark the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran.

In September, an Iranian judicial panel rejected [JURIST report] similar allegations of detainee assault brought by pro-reform presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi [NYT profile] and called for the arrest of those spreading false allegations. In August, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] called for the prosecution of opposition leaders [JURIST report] who allegedly conspired to orchestrate widespread protests after the presidential election. Human rights groups have accused [JURIST report] the Iranian government of using the protests to "engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals."