JURIST - Paper Chase: Saturday, February 6, 2010

JURIST Supported by the University of Pittsburgh

PAPER CHASE ARCHIVE
Serious law. Primary sources. Global perspective.

Legal news from Saturday, February 6, 2010

Lebanon tribunal head says Hariri probe on track
Son of Liberia ex-president ordered to pay $22 million to torture victims

Lebanon tribunal head says Hariri probe on track
Jonathan Cohen on February 6, 2010 11:03 AM ET

[JURIST] The head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) [official website; JURIST news archive] Friday reassured [press release] the Lebanese public that the investigation is on track. When asked about the progress of the investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST news archive], the head of the STL

underlined the fact that the Tribunal already has in place all the legal and administrative instruments necessary for its work, and is fully operational so that justice may be dispensed with complete independence and impartiality in accordance with the highest international standards.

The STL has also agreed to set up a liaison to assist in communications with Lebanon and also to implement decisions and orders in the state.

In April, a judge for the tribunal ordered the release of four generals [JURIST report] who had been held on suspicion of their involvement in the death of Hariri. Earlier this month, STL pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen ordered [UN News Centre report] prosecutor Daniel Bellemare [Ya Libnan profile] to submit either a reasoned request for the continued detention of the four generals or a declination thereof. A Lebanese judge ordered the transfer of documents [JURIST report] relating to Hariri’s assassination to the STL early this month, thereby granting sole jurisdiction over the case against the four accused generals to the tribunal. In March 2008, lead prosecutor Bellamare said he believed a criminal network was behind the assassination [JURIST report]. The investigation into the assassination has been extended past its original anticipated end date and expanded [JURIST reports] to cover other assassinations in the country. Several reports from the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) [authorizing resolution; UN materials], also headed by Bellemare, have implicated Syrian officials [JURIST report] in Hariri's death.

Link |

| latest newscast | archive |

Son of Liberia ex-president ordered to pay $22 million to torture victims
Jonathan Cohen on February 6, 2010 10:07 AM ET

[JURIST] A US federal court Friday ordered a final judgment of $22 million [press release, PDF] against Charles Emmanuel "Chuckie" Taylor, Jr." to be paid to five torture victims. Charles was charged [indictment, PDF] with torture while he was in charge of Liberia's Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU). The order issued by the judge outlined:

the multiple forms of torture; cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment; arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention to which the plaintiffs were subjected and recognizes the past, present and future physical and mental suffering those abuses inflicted.

Human Rights USA [advocacy website], which served as amicus curaie in the criminal case and represented plaintiffs in the civil case against Taylor, said it hoped the award would "serve as a deterrent to others who believe they could mistreat fellow humans in this manner and never be held accountable."

Taylor is the son of former Liberian president Charles Taylor [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], who is currently on trial [case website] before the Special Court for Sierra Leone [official website] sitting at The Hague. Taylor faces 11 counts [indictment, PDF] of crimes against humanity, violations of the Geneva Conventions [materials], and other violations of international humanitarian law stemming from a "campaign to terrorize the civilian population" of Sierra Leone.

Link |

| latest newscast | archive |

For more legal news check the Paper Chase Archive...

LATEST OP-ED

The War on Terror and the Need for Muslim Support

Faisal Kutty
Valparaiso University Law School

Get JURIST legal news delivered daily to your e-mail!

SYNDICATION

Add Paper Chase legal news to your RSS reader or personalized portal:

E-MAIL

Subscribe to Paper Chase by e-mail. JURIST offers a free once-a-day digest [sample]. Enter your e-mail address below. After subscribing and being returned to this page, please check your e-mail for a confirmation message.

R|mail e-mails individual Paper Chase posts through the day. Enter your e-mail address below. After subscribing and being returned to this page, please check your e-mail for a confirmation message.

PUBLICATION

Join top US law schools, federal appeals courts, law firms and legal organizations by publishing Paper Chase legal news on your public website or intranet.
JURIST offers a news ticker and preformatted headline boxes updated in real time. Get the code.
Feedroll provides free Paper Chase news boxes with headlines or digests precisely tailored to your website's look and feel, with content updated every 15 minutes. Customize and get the code.

ABOUT

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible, ad-free format.

CONTACT

Paper Chase welcomes comments, tips and URLs from readers. E-mail us at JURIST@jurist.org