Medunjanin's alleged co-conspirators, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay [JURIST reports] have both pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Both men testified against Medunjanin. All three men allegedly traveled together to Pakistan to receive al Qaeda training.

The issue of which court is going to try Saif al-Islam has been in dispute since he was captured [JURIST report] by Libyan rebel forces in November. Last month ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official profile] stated that the maximum penalty for Saif al-Islam in the ICC would be life in prison, but if convicted in a national court he could face the death penalty [JURIST report]. Earlier that month Ocampo asked the ICC to report Libya to the UN Security Council [official website] for failing to turn over Saif al-Islam. Libya expressly denied [JURIST report] the ICC's request for such action and stated that Saif al-Islam will face trial within the country. In February 2011, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to refer the matter in Libya to the ICC prosecutor [JURIST report]. The ICC claimed jurisdiction over Saif al-Islam despite its announcement in November that it may allow Libya to conduct the trial [JURIST report]

The issues regarding personhood initiatives and their possible ramifications [JURIST comments] have long been controversial. The initiative to redefine "personhood" under the Oklahoma Constitution [text] was originally challenged [JURIST report] in March. If the amendment ever passes, it would effectively outlaw all abortions, many forms of birth control, and various treatments for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages. In February the Virginia House of Delegates passed a similar "personhood" bill [JURIST report] that defines "life" at the beginning of conception. Last fall, a similar lawsuit challenging the Mississippi personhood ballot initiative was dismissed and eventually rejected [JURIST reports]. In 2007 the Supreme Court of Colorado allowed [JURIST report] an anti-abortion group's personhood ballot initiative that similarly defined a fertilized egg as a "person."

A Bahrain appeals court ruled Monday that al-Khawaja and the other protesters would be retried in civilian court [JURIST report]. HRW reported on Sunday that Bahrain's police officers regularly abuse minor detainees [JURIST report] before transporting them to police stations. Several other human rights organizations have also been critical of Bahrain. In April Amnesty International (AI) issued its own report [JURIST report] alleging human rights violations continue in Bahrain despite reforms. Also in April, four independent UN human rights experts called for al-Khawaja's immediate release [JURIST report]. Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Margaret Sekaggya [official website] expressed concern that Al-Khawaja's trial and sentence are linked to his legitimate work to promote human rights. Last year, a Bahrain court sentenced four protesters to death [JURIST report] for their roles in the killing of two police officers committed during mass anti-government protests. Three others were sentenced to life in prison.

The effect of Mexico's drug wars on uninvolved citizens has received widespread attention from various human rights groups. In March, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances [official website] found [JURIST report] a "chronic pattern of impunity demonstrated by the absence of effective investigations in cases of enforced disappearances" in Mexico, but also expressed appreciation for the Mexican government's openness to making positive constitutional changes to advance human rights. Last November, Mexican activists filed a complaint in the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] to investigate the alleged human rights violations [JURIST report] by the Mexican army and police resulting from the attack on drug cartels initiated by President Felipe Calderon [official website, in Spanish]. The activists also contended that drug lords have been likewise responsible for crimes against humanity since 2006. In response, the government stated that the ICC is the wrong means to "fight crime and impunity," and that the activists should first proceed with their claim through the national criminal justice system.

The right affected by the Photo ID Law is fundamental. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has recognized that "[n]o right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined." ... Unless the Court acts to block the enforcement of the new photo ID requirement, many of Pennsylvania's good citizens will have this most precious right unduly burdened and, in many cases, effectively denied.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett [official website] signed the bill into law [JURIST report] in March, making Pennsylvania one of 32 US states [NCSL backgrounder] that require voters to present some form of ID at the polls. Last week a Wisconsin appeals court refused to rule on an injunction [JURIST report] currently blocking that state's voter ID law. In February the Virginia Senate approved a voter ID law [JURIST report]. Also in February South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson filed suit against the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over its ruling that barred South Carolina [JURIST reports] from enforcing its voter ID law. In November Mississippi voters approved a ballot measure [JURIST report] to implement a voter ID law. In June Missouri Governor Jay Nixon [official website] vetoed [JURIST report] a law requiring persons to present photo ID at voting booth.