Arizona's new immigration has been widely criticized in regard to the law's constitutionality and alleged "legalization" of racial profiling. Earlier this month, the city of Tucson, Arizona joined a lawsuit [JURIST report] against the state's new immigration law arguing that it law violates the Commerce Clause and Fourth Amendment [Cornell LII backgrounders] of the US Constitution [text], in addition to federal immigration law, through which the federal government has "fully occupied" the field of immigration control. The Obama administration, though supporting immigration reform, has sharply criticized the law [JURIST report], calling it "misguided" and expressing concern that it could be applied in a discriminatory fashion. These criticisms are shared by Mexican President Felipe Calderon [official website, Spanish] who called the law a "violation of human rights" [JURIST report]. In May, a group of UN experts found that the law could violate international standards [JURIST report] that are binding on the US.

Earlier this month, the Global Peace Index (GPI) [report; materials] found that world peace has declined [JURIST report] over the past year due to a global increase in states' internal violence and unrest. The GPI cited factors such as the rise in violent demonstrations and the increase in fear of violent crime as factors for the drop in global peace. New Zealand, Iceland and Japan top the list as the most peaceful, and Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan were the least peaceful. According to the GPI, nearly USD $30 trillion would have been added to the global economy over the last four years in the absence of the world's conflicts. The GPI has been published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace since 2007. The GPI is based on information compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit [official website], and compares the relative peacefulness of 149 countries.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unprecedented, sad, ugly and inhuman disaster. What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deepwater drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm. While the implementation of regulations and a new culture of safety are supportable by the [administration's] Report and the documents presented, the blanket moratorium, with no parameters, seems to assume that because one rig failed and although no one yet fully knows why, all companies and rigs drilling new wells over 500 feet also universally present an imminent danger.

Last week, US President Barack Obama [official website] announced the government's latest plan of action for tackling the oil spill, which includes a $20 billion compensation fund [JURIST reports] subsidized by BP. The newly-established escrow fund [government backgrounder] will be used to indemnify the workers and business owners harmed as a result of the oil spill. The announcement also included a long-term restoration plan and prevention of future disasters [JURIST report] through stronger regulation. Additionally last week, Obama announced the appointment of Micheal Bromwich [press release], a former federal prosecutor and Inspector General for the Justice Department, as head of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) [official website], which has been plagued with corruption and notorious for its cozy relationship with oil companies. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was a result of an oil well blowout that caused an explosion 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf. More than 120 million gallons of oil have leaked already from the rig's broken pipe and has now surpassed the Exxon Valdez [JURIST news archive] as the worst oil spill in US history. The White House is keeping a daily chronology of events [text].

Sri Lanka has faced numerous allegations of human rights violations originating from incidents that took place during the final months of the civil war. Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] announced it had acquired new evidence [JURIST report] supporting allegations of war crimes. Also last month, the International Crisis Group (ICG) [official website] accused Sri Lankan security forces of war crimes [JURIST report], claiming that the violence of the 30-year civil war escalated in January 2009, leaving thousands more dead than projected by the UN. In March, Ban reaffirmed his plan to set up a UN panel [JURIST report] to investigate allegations of human rights violations during the civil war. Earlier in March, Rajapaksa rejected [JURIST report] Ban's plan to appoint a panel of experts to look into alleged rights abuses in the island nation's civil war, saying it "is totally uncalled for and unwarranted."

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) [official website] last week called for Erlinder's release [JURIST report] in a letter to Rwandan authorities. Acting on the advice of the UN Office of Legal Affairs [official website], the ICTR asserted in the letter that Erlinder has immunity from prosecution under the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations [text, PDF], a treaty that Rwanda is a party to that prevents legal action of any kind against UN employees working in an official capacity. Last Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [official website] stated that the Obama administration had expressed concern [statement] to the Rwandan government over Erlinder's detention and the prosecution of opposition candidates but emphasized the US government's continued support for the Rwandan government. Two weeks ago, US Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) [official websites] introduced a resolution [JURIST report] calling on the Rwandan government to release Erlinder in order to "prevent ... an impasse in relations" between the US and Rwanda.

Approximately 120,000 Askenazi Jews rallied in Jerusalem after the original ruling on reintegration at Beit Yaakov girls' school. The protest was the biggest demonstration by the ultra-Orthodox community in over two decades. Before the Supreme Court administered its ruling last week, a mother that was convicted told reporters that the court had no right to rule on the dispute because parents had simply carried out orders from their rabbis, who had a higher jurisdiction.

Afghanistan's national peace summit held earlier this month was aimed at ending the nine-year insurgency in Afghanistan [JURIST news archive] and bringing peace to the country. Two days after the summit, Karzai announced the creation of a commission to review the cases of all suspected Taliban militants [JURIST report] currently being held in custody. Suspects that are being held without sufficient evidence will immediately be released. Karzai's announcement was the first step toward achieving the goals set at the conclusion of the summit [press release], which included implementing a framework to negotiate with disaffected members of the country, ending corruption in the government and creating a national government valuing the input of all citizens. While the resolution called for the release of all prisoners being held in the country without sufficient evidence, it is unclear whether the new commission will examine the cases of suspects currently in US custody.

This is an important achievement. The legislation removes what has been a blight on Australia's reputation as the land of a fair go. We recognise the importance of dignity and pride for Indigenous Australians. The legislation also introduces a new non-discriminatory income management scheme to protect children and families and help disengaged youth. The suspension of the RDA left Indigenous people feeling hurt, betrayed and less worthy than other Australians. Re-instating the RDA restores dignity and helps Indigenous Australians to take ownership of their lives and to drive change in the Northern Territory. It also ensures that measures under the NTER are sustainable and can be effective in the long term.

Current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd [official website] has championed the cause of improved living conditions for and relations with Australia's indigenous population since his election in 2008. Last year, Australia endorsed [JURIST report] the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People [text, PDF]. When the declaration was adopted by the UN [JURIST report] in 2007, Australia was among the four member states that declined to endorse the treaty. Former prime minister John Howard [JURIST news archive] said [speech, PDF] that his Liberal Party [official website] led administration believed the declaration would cause a national regression into a climate of "victimhood." In February 2008, Rudd issued an official apology [statement text] for past mistreatment to the nation's indigenous population on behalf of the federal government, a sentiment which he reaffirmed last year.

Also Monday, KP member states began a meeting in Israel during which the body is reported to be preparing to lift the ban [BBC report] on Zimbabwean diamonds. Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Monday urged the KP to remove Zimbabwe [JURIST report] from its membership. According to HRW's report, human rights abuses by the Zimbabwean government have persisted since the discovery of diamonds in the Marange fields. In calling for Zimbabwe's suspension from the oversight body, HRW explained that the KP "risk[ed] becoming irrelevant" if it failed to address this problem. Civil society groups such as Global Witness, Partnership Africa Canada and Green Advocates [advocacy websites], have also called for the suspension of Zimbabwe's international diamond trade due to the human rights violations [Telegraph report] allegedly committed by the Zimbabwean army against civilians and illegal workers in the Marange diamond fields.

Belgium has been active in seeking justice for war crimes committed in Africa. Last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] denied [JURIST report] Belgium's request to compel Senegal to extradite former Chadian president Hissene Habre [BBC profile] under Belgium's universal jurisdiction [AI backgrounder, PDF] statute. In 2008, Congolese former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba [case materials; JURIST news archive] was arrested in Belgium and transferred [JURIST reports] to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website]. He is set for trial this summer [JURIST report]. In 2002, the Belgian government apologized for playing a role [AP report] in Lumumba's death after a Belgian investigation found evidence of the country's involvement in the political overthrow.

Faisal Shahzad plotted and launched an attack that could have led to serious loss of life, and today the American criminal justice system ensured that he will pay the price for his actions. We will not rest in bringing to justice terrorists who seek to harm the American people, and we will use every tool available to the government to do so.

Shahzad's arrest and subsequent interrogation have helped shape debate in the US over the reading of the Miranda warnings to terror suspects. Shahzad was given Miranda warnings but waived them and continued talking with police [NYT report] for more than two weeks before finally meeting with counsel. Despite the information provided by Shahzad, lawmakers continue to push for more limitations on Miranda. Last month, Holder indicated that the Obama administration plans to ask Congress to enact legislation [JURIST report] allowing interrogators to question terror suspects for a longer period of time than currently allowed before informing them of their constitutional rights to remain silent and be represented by an attorney. Also last month, lawmakers introduced a bill [JURIST report] that, if passed, would strip US citizenship rights from those suspected of engaging in terrorism. In March, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) proposed a law [JURIST report] that would require terror suspects to be stripped of their Miranda rights and to face military interrogation and trial. The proposed legislation, has been controversial [JURIST op-ed], with critics claiming its impact "would be a fundamental miscarriage of justice."

The presence of illegal aliens places a fiscal burden on the City, increasing the demand for, and cost of, public benefits and services[.] Crimes committed by illegal aliens in the City harm the health, safety and welfare of U.S. citizens and aliens lawfully present in the United States[.] The employment of unauthorized aliens in the City displaces authorized United States workers and adversely affects their wages[.]

In March, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas [official website] issued a permanent injunction [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] against a Texas city ordinance [No. 2952 text] containing a nearly identical occupancy permit scheme. The court ruled that the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch cannot enforce the permit scheme, finding it to be preempted by federal law under the Supremacy Clause [Cornell LII backgrounder] of the US Constitution. State and local governments nationwide have been passing strict laws targeting illegal immigration in recent months. Earlier this month, the US Conference of Mayors [official website] passed two resolutions [JURIST report] opposing Arizona's recently passed immigration law [SB 1070 materials; JURIST news archive] and supporting federal immigration reform. The controversial Arizona bill, which was signed into law [JURIST report] in April by Governor Jan Brewer (R) [official website], will go into effect on July 29. Proponents of the law argue that it will discourage illegal immigration, while opponents contend it will lead to discriminatory police practices based on race. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against implementation of the law, joining two others filed in April [JURIST reports] questioning the constitutionality of the law.

Street View cannot mean Complete View - invading home and business computer networks and vacuuming up personal information and communications. Consumers have a right and a need to know what personal information - which could include emails, web browsing and passwords - Google may have collected, how and why. Google must come clean, explaining how and why it intercepted and saved private information broadcast over personal and business wireless networks. ... The company must provide a complete and comprehensive explanation of how this unauthorized data collection happened, why the information was kept if collection was inadvertent and what action will prevent a recurrence. Our investigation will consider whether laws may have been broken and whether changes to state and federal statutes may be necessary.

In a letter [text, PDF] sent last week to the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee [official website], Google claimed that its collection of private information was inadvertent and did not violate any laws [JURIST report]. Several countries have recently launched investigations into Google's unencrypted data collections to determine whether the company's practices have violated privacy laws. Earlier this month, Australia commenced an investigation [JURIST report] into whether Google breached the nation's Telecommunications Interception Act [text], which prevents people from accessing electronic communications other than for authorized purposes. Additionally, Canada launched an investigation [JURIST report] into Google's unsecured Wi-Fi data collection to determine whether Google has violated the country's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act [text, PDF], which applies to private organizations that collect, use, or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities. Belgium, the UK, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland have also asked Google to retain data collected in those respective nations. Earlier this month, Google was accused by advocacy group Privacy International (PI) [advocacy website] of criminal intent [JURIST report] for the company's private data collection. PI released its statement in response an independent audit [text, PDF] published by Google on the company's official blog [website]. PI claims that information gathered in the audit proves that Google's interception of unencrypted data was not inadvertent and should lead to prosecution.