The release of prisoners comes after many controversial arrests were made by Vietnam's communist government. In April, well-known lawyer and activist Cu Huy Ha Vu was among several dissidents in Vietnam convicted [JURIST report] for anti-government activity. In January 2010, four defendants were convicted [JURIST report] of activities aimed at ending communist rule in Vietnam. In March, 2010 Vietnamese authorities released [JURIST report] a Catholic priest and leading rights activist from Hanoi prison. Also in March, Vietnamese human rights lawyer and activist Le Thi Cong Nhan was released [JURIST report] from prison after serving a three-year sentence for allegedly spreading propaganda against the state.

The Ocampo Six include several high-ranking members of Kenya's government, the head of operations at Kass FM [official website] in Nairobi and the son of Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta [Africa Within backgrounder]. Three of the men are members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) [party website], and the other three are members of the opposing Party for National Unity (PNU). The ODM suspects are charged with fomenting violence against PNU members following the 2007 elections because they believed the election of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki [official profile] to be rigged. In response, the PNU suspects are charged with the conspiring with the Mungiki criminal organization [Safer Access backgrounder, PDF] to attack members of the ODM party. The ICC summoned the suspects [JURIST report] after determining they would not be charged in Kenya for the alleged crimes. In April, Kenya requested that the ICC dismiss the case [JURIST report], arguing that the government is capable of prosecuting the six men domestically. Lawyers for the Ocampo Six called for the timely release of evidence [JURIST report] against their clients that month as well.

Earlier this month, judges for the ECCC announced [JURIST archive] that they had "serious doubts" that the suspects being investigated by the court are those "most responsible" for the for alleged war crimes. The tribunal is responsible for investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Cambodia's communist Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. In June, the ECCC began the initial hearings in the trial of four former Khmer Rouge leaders [JURIST report] constituting Case 002 [materials]. The four leaders include Nuon Chea, who was Pol Pot's second-in-command and the group's chief ideologist, former head of state Khieu Samphan, ex-foreign minister Ieng Sary, and his wife, Ieng Thirith [case profiles, PDF], who served as minister for social affairs. All four pleaded not guilty to charges including crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture.

The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has called on other nations to end the practice of enforced disappearances. In June, they demanded [JURIST report] China address its practice of "enforced disappearances" [press release] and reveal the location of 355 detained Tibetan monks. That same month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [official website] expressed concern [JURIST report] over the arrest and arbitrary detention of dozens of civilians by Libyan opposition authorities. A three-person commission for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) [official website] appointed to investigate violence in Libya published a report [PDF] saying that government forces have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes [JURIST report] under orders from Libyan leader Mummar Gaddafi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], including imprisonment, and other severe deprivations of physical liberties.

The UN Security Council last month called for an end to fighting [JURIST report] in South Kordofan. South Kordofan, which has been held by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) since the 2005 peace deal that stifled Sudan's civil war, is a state in the center of Sudan, and has been a disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan due to its oil reserves. Sudan's army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), took over Abyei, a district in the state, in May, causing a rebuke and demand for withdrawal [JURIST report] by the UN. The UN confirmed reports of bombing and shelling in and around Abyei by the SAF, as well as widespread looting and burning of houses. Aid workers estimate 40,000 people have fled the area [BBC report]. While the UN has said that attacks on its peacekeepers amount to war crimes under international law, both the UN and the US have called on the northern troops to withdraw from Abyei. From the northern capital of Khartoum President Omar al-Bashir [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] has stated he will not withdraw troops from the region and insisted that the area belongs to the north. An International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] case is open against al-Bashir and several nations have been urged to arrest him on sight including: China, Malaysia, Djibouti, Kenya and Chad [JURIST reports].

It is critical that civilian authorities led by the TNC [Transitional National Council] assert full control over Libya and establish the rule of law to prevent further bloodshed, vigilante justice, looting, and violence. The international community must assist the newly emerging civilian authorities in providing basic services to the Libyan people as Libya develops a constitutional framework and mechanisms and builds civil society and institutions. ... This effort must also examine reports of human rights violations committed by rebel forces and NATO. In the current absence of developed legal institutions, it is crucial that Libyan transitional authorities fully collaborate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has already issued arrest warrants for [Gaddafi] and others. ... Prosecutions, vetting, and other necessary methods of accountability will guide the Libyan people as they choose how best to forge a secure and just social and political order in the aftermath of conflict.

Gaddafi continues to disregard arrest warrants [JURIST report] issued in May by Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official website] of the International Criminal Court [official website]. The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) [official webisite] released a report in June that revealed estimates showing 10,000-15,000 people have been killed since protests began in February [JURIST reports]. In April, Ocampo's office uncovered evidence [JURIST report] that Gaddafi planned to attack civilians to forestall regime-toppling revolution. Ocampo indicated that the plans were made in response to the conflicts in Tunisia and Egypt and included shooting civilians. In March, Ocampo told the press that he was 100 percent certain his office would bring charges [JURIST report] against Gaddafi. Also in March, the ICC launched a probe into allegations of crimes against humanity [JURIST report] by the Libyan government.

In June, the ACLU, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) [advocacy website] and a coalition of other civil rights groups filed a class action lawsuit challenging a similar Georgia immigration law, which has also been blocked by a judge [JURIST reports]. In May, the US Supreme Court upheld an Arizona employment law [JURIST report] that imposes penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, ruling that the law is not preempted by the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) [text]. The ruling opens the door for states to enact similar restraints on immigration. Several other states have also enacted or proposed [JURIST reports] tough new immigration laws.

Musharraf was arrested in February [JURIST report] because he had not cooperated during the investigation of Bhutto's death, and investigators alleged that Musharraf did not provide adequate security [DAWN report] for Bhutto when she was assassinated during a campaign rally in Pakistan in 2007. According to an interim criminal charge sheet [JURIST report] by the FIA, Musharraf appointed and allegedly gave orders to the police officers accused of failing to protect Bhutto on the day she was assassinated. Specifically, the prosecution document alleges that Musharraf ordered the officers to remove a security detail for Bhutto prior to her departure and that he later ordered the same officers to hose down the scene of the assassination.