In April, Rwandan authorities arrested [JURIST report] opposition presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza [campaign website], accusing her of denying the 1994 Rwandan genocide [HRW backgrounder; JURIST news archive] and collaborating with terrorists. Authorities cited Ingabire's call for the prosecution [AFP report] of those who killed Hutus during the genocide, in which over 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were slain, as evidence of her denial of the genocide. Prosecutors also alleged that Ingabire has collaborated with Hutu rebels in the Democratic Republic of Rwanda, which borders Rwanda. The arrests come at a time when Kagame has received criticism [press release] from Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] for his treatment of opposition parties.

In February, UK Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer published a policy [JURIST report] introducing guidelines against prosecution of English citizens who travel to Switzerland for assisted suicide. At the end of last year, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that assisted suicide does not violate Montana law [JURIST report], making Montana the third US state, after Oregon and Washington, to allow the practice. Last year, the Swiss Federal Council proposed a number of regulations [JURIST report] that would have implemented additional procedural requirements on a person seeking assisted suicide. Last September, the UK released an interim policy [JURIST report] on assisted suicide that lists factors to be considered in determining which cases to prosecute.

No doubt deeply-rooted cultural sensitivities can be aroused when we talk about sexual orientation. Social attitudes run deep and take time to change. But cultural considerations should not stand in the way of basic human rights. ... No one, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. No one should be prosecuted for their ideas or beliefs. No one should be punished for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

In July, the UN Economic and Social Council [official website] voted 23-13 to accredit the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission [advocacy website] as a consultative non-governmental organization [JURIST report]. The commission, a human rights organization for those discriminated against based on sexual orientation and gender identity, had been working towards accreditation since 2007. According to the organization, it is the tenth gay-rights group [press release] among 3,200 accredited NGOs. Last year, US President Barack Obama endorsed a UN declaration [JURIST report] calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality, reversing the decision of his predecessor. By doing so, the US joined 66 other nations in supporting the document that divided the UN General Assembly. Nearly 60 nations signed an opposing statement, including China, Russia, members of the Islamic Conference and the Vatican.

Earlier this month, the UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict called for perpetrators of mass rapes, including heads of DRC militias, to face war crimes charges [JURIST report]. Human rights have long been a major concern in the DRC. In June, national police chief John Numbi was suspended [JURIST report] as part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of human rights activist Floribert Chebeya. In December, Human Rights Watch urged MONUSCO to stop funding military groups [JURIST report] in the country that are committing human rights abuses. In December 2008, Amnesty International reported that rape and sexual warfare have been employed [JURIST report] by both the DRC military and by rebel forces.

Last month, Fonseka announced his decision to appeal [JURIST report] his conviction on charges of engaging in politics while on active duty. Fonseka was accused [JURIST report] of trying to secure a place in a political party before he quit his military position. Accordingly, he was dishonorably discharged and stripped of his rank, medals and pension. In July, the High Court of Sri Lanka [official website] conducted the first hearing in a case accusing Fonseka of provoking violence and bringing disrepute to the government. The charges are in relation to statements made to the Sunday Leader [media website] newspaper, which suggested that the government of Rajapaksa ordered the killing of surrendering rebel leaders during the Sri Lankan civil war.

Jordan was arrested [JURIST report] by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [official website] agents in May after he was accused of involvement in the 1982 massacre. He is suspected of being one of 20 Guatemalan special forces soldiers known as "Kaibiles" who killed men, women and children in Dos Erres during Guatemala's civil war. ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said, "[t]hose who commit human rights abuses abroad cannot subvert US immigration laws in order to take shelter in the United States. We are firmly committed to denying human rights abusers entrance into this country, weeding out those that are already here, and will enforce this US government policy of no safe haven for human rights violators."

Reaction to the new treaty has been mixed. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] called it a significant achievement [press release], while Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) [official website] said in April that it stands no chance [JURIST report] of passage this year. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev [official website] signed the treaty [JURIST report] in Prague in April. The agreement, reached [JURIST report] in February, is the first nuclear agreement between the two nations in nearly 20 years. The US State Department began negotiating [JURIST report] the treaty with Russia in 2009. Nuclear disarmament between the US and Russia, whose nuclear arsenals comprise 95 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, languished during the Bush administration. The treaty is considered a key part of easing tensions between the two countries, which reached a high point after the 2008 Georgia conflict [BBC backgrounder].