The case went to trial [JURIST report] last month after settlement negotiations broke down. In addition to defending against patent claims, Google has also been under fire recently regarding its new privacy policy [JURIST news archive], which came into effect in March. EU data authorities are concerned [JURIST report] about the sharing and combination of personal data across services and its compliance with European data protection legislation.

The US was reluctant to turn over Daqduq to Iraqi authorities. In December, a group of US politicians wrote a letter [JURIST report] opposing the transfer of Daqduq into Iraqi custody due to security concerns. In September, anonymous officials reported that the Obama administration was considering trying Daqduq in a military commission. The administration was reportedly considering this move because they believed that the best place to try Daqduq was at a US military base. Daqduq was captured in Iraq in 2007. He was accused of planning a raid in Karbala, Iraq in 2007 which resulted in the deaths of five US soldiers [NYT report].

Israel has recently faced criticism for the country's policy toward Palestinians. The Israeli Supreme Court announced [JURIST report] in February that it would hear the hunger strike case Adnan, despite a military judge rejecting his appeal in early February. Adnan was released from detention in April. In early February, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] urged Israel to change its policies [JURIST report] that forbid Palestinians from traveling through and living in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli Supreme Court upheld [JURIST report] a law that prevents Palestinians who marry Israelis from obtaining Israeli citizenship. With its ruling the court again rejected the petition filed by Adalah [advocacy website], a civil rights group in Israel, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.

Rajab was arrested [JURIST report] last month just before a planned demonstration against the imprisonment of a prominent rights activist, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and charged with participation in illegal gatherings. In March Amnesty International (AI) [advocay website] urged [JURIST report] the Bahraini government to release Al-Khawaja, who had at that time been on a hunger strike in protest of his charges for 50 days. That same month the UN expressed concern [JURIST report] over the escalation of the government crackdowns on protesters. In addition to open violence against activists, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] released a report in March claiming protesters are being convicted in unfair trials [JURIST report]. All of this comes after the government announced constitutional reforms [JURIST report] in January that were rejected by opposition groups.

Libya has been subject to allegations of human rights and war crimes violations since last year's revolution. Last month UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon [official profile] urged Libyan officials to investigate the allegations of human rights abuse [JURIST report] in the country during the uprising against Gaddafi. In February Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] accused the ruling NTC of allowing the abuse and torture [JURIST report] of supporters of the former leader by unofficial militias. In January UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official website] addressed the UN Security Council [official website] expressing concern over alleged current human rights violations [JURIST report] in Libya. Earlier that month Middle East rights groups alleged human rights violations [JURIST report] and that all parties involved, including NATO, committed acts ranging from use of excessive force against protesters to cruel and inhuman treatment of prisoners during detention. In September, the NTC vowed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses after AI published a report alleging that both sides of the Libya conflict are responsible [JURIST report] for human rights abuses and warning the NTC to act quickly to investigate these allegations.