Marijuana use has created legal controversy in the US in recent years. In May, the Connecticut Senate passed a bill [JURIST report] allowing citizens to obtain marijuana for medical use under certain conditions, making Connecticut the seventeenth state to allow sale of marijuana for medical use. Other states that have passed similar laws have run into trouble with conflicting federal laws regulating the production and sale of marijuana. In March, a federal court dismissed a suit [JURIST report] challenging US attorneys' authority to prosecute medical marijuana providers in California, saying the federal attorneys do have this authority. In January, the US District Court for the District of Montana ruled [JURIST report] that the state's laws allowing the sale of medical marijuana did not protect dispensers from federal prosecution. Connecticut has nevertheless been taking steps toward legalization of marijuana. Last year, the state passed a law [JURIST report] decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The same court has ruled several times on laws relating to the elections. In January, the court ruled [JURIST report] that a law allowing local and parliamentary elections to be held at the same time is unconstitutional. The law had been challenged of creating opportunities of fraud, cheating and confusion in the election process. In 2009, the high court declared [press release, PDF; in Romanian] incumbent Romanian President Trian Basescu [BBC profile] winner of the country's disputed presidential election [JURIST report]. He had been reinstated in 2007 after the high court certified results of a referendum in which 74 percent of voters rejected [JURIST reports] Basescu's impeachment.

Complicity in torture has been at the center of controversy in Canada recently. In February, Canada Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is authorized to use and pass on information obtained through torture [JURIST report] when Canadian lives are at stake. In November 2009, a former senior Canadian diplomat alleged that the Canadian military was complicit in the torture of Afghans [JURIST report] by their own government. Amnesty International Canada and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association filed complaints in 2007 in Canadian federal court alleging complicity in torture by Canadian personnel serving in Afghanistan. Amnesty accused Canada of violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms [text] by turning Afghan detainees over to Afghan authorities without any protection against later cruel and unusual punishment, but the court ruled Canadian law does not extend to prisoners detained in Afghanistan [JURIST report].

The DOJ had conducted a comprehensive and independent investigation initiated in June 2008 under Section 14141 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 [text, PDF] and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [DOJ materials]. After the DOJ found reasonable cause that the sheriff's office engage in a pattern of discriminatory practice, it filed a suit against Arpaio.

The country's judiciary has been in conflict with the executive branch since political leaders have rejected the court's order to investigate into the president's alleged corruption practices. Last week, a Pakistani court ordered [JURIST report] the arrest of Makhdoom Shahabuddin [BBC profile], a former health minister from Punjab Province and the nominee for the country's then-vacant prime minister position for allegations that he was involved in irregularities in the amount of the controlled drug Ephedrine circulating within the country during his tenure as health minister. The arrest order was issued the same day the president nominated Shahabuddin to fill the position of former prime minister Gilani who was disqualified two days earlier from being a member of Parliament since his April contempt conviction [JURIST reports]. He was convicted of contempt because he refused to open an investigation against the president.

Florida also faces challenges to its purging policy from the ACLU-FL and a coalition of rights groups [JURIST reports] on behalf of several Florida citizens. The purging of voter rolls in Florida has created a national controversy in recent weeks. Earlier this month, amidst calls to end its purging practices, Florida filed suit [JURIST report] seeking access to a federal database that will help it verify the citizenship of registered voters. Earlier in June, a spokesperson for Scott said that the state would continue to search for ineligible voters [Huffington Post report], even after receiving a letter from the DOJ ordering them to stop the practice [JURIST report]. Also this month, federal judge blocked [JURIST report] part of Florida's new election law that required any group that conducts a voter registration drive to turn in registration forms within 48 hours of collecting them or else face a $1,000 per day fine. Last October, the state submitted a request [JURIST report] to a federal court challenging the VRA.

One of the most prominent cases before the special authority courts is the case of the Ergenekon [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] network. In January, retired Turkish general Ilker Basbug, formerly the leader of all of Turkey's armed forces, was arrested [JURIST report] for his alleged involvement with the network. The group was accused of having planned to assassinate prominent members of Turkey's Christian and Jewish minority groups, blame Islamic terrorists for the deaths and use this to delegitimize the ruling AKP. The Ergenekon investigation was criticized for its alleged purpose of silencing AKP's opponents and imposing Islamic principles [JURIST report].

The U.S. has demonstrated to the World that it can act with impunity outside her borders, and has sanctioned torture practices for States that will define this century. For the current generation of "those outside her borders," America's beacon is now Guantanamo—not the shining torch on the hill, but a siren of detention and despair. The U.S. Government seeks to close this painful and dark chapter in our Nation's history by killing Mr. Mohammad after a show trial. There is a better way. This can end in hope—hope for torture victims around the world that even powerful States like the U.S. can be held accountable for torture. We hope that this Letter of Allegation against the U.S. and any other alleged, undisclosed potentially-complicit State Party will initiate a full, fair, and impartial inquiry.

Mohammed faces charges of of conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking aircraft and terrorism. He could face the death penalty if convicted. The US Department of Defense (DOD) referred charges [JURIST report] to a military commission in April against Mohammed and four other alleged conspirators, drawing criticism from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the trials should take place in federal court. The DOD announced in May that it had sworn charges against the five men [JURIST report] for the 9/11 attacks. Last April, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced the five defendants would be tried by a military commission [JURIST report] after the Obama administration abandoned attempts to have the 9/11 suspects tried in civilian courts. Holder had wanted the accused be tried before a federal civilian court but referred the cases to the DOD after Congress imposed a series of restrictions [JURIST report] barring the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the US.

Police abuse is a subject of international concern. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported [JURIST report] in May that China's chengguan, a para-police organization charged with enforcing non-criminal administrative regulations, is abusing its power. In April HRW alleged that Bahrain's police officers regularly abuse minor detainees [JURIST report] before transporting them to police stations. Last October the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that prisoners in some Afghan-run detention facilities had been beaten and tortured [JURIST report]. In June 2011 HRW reported that Iraqi police forces had been beating and illegally detaining protesters [JURIST report].

Ethiopia has faced consistent criticism since it passed [JURIST report] the anti-terrorism law in 2009. In January, the Ethiopian court convicted [JURIST report] three journalists, a political opposition leader and a politician's assistant for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism in violation of the controversial law. Human rights groups such as HRW have criticized the conviction and called the government to drop all charges. In December HRW stated [JURIST report] that the controversial law is "fundamentally flawed and being used to repress legitimate reporting." The statement came after two Swedish journalists were convicted [Bloomberg report] of supporting terrorism.

Ten years ago, our government violated both the Convention and our domestic laws when it made torture and abuse of U.S. prisoners abroad a prevalent American practice. ... Today is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which commemorates the anniversary of the day, twenty-five years ago, that the Convention Against Torture became a binding legal obligation for the countries that had ratified it. On this day, we call upon the government to end this disgraceful state of affairs. To enhance public access and ensure public memory, the ACLU is also launching the ACLU Torture Database, a searchable compilation of government records documenting America's experiment with torture.

The US has been criticized recently for its treatment of detainees. In March, the ACLU filed a petition against the US with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) [official website] on behalf of three Afghans and three Iraqis who were allegedly tortured while being detained by the American military [JURIST report] in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Open Society Institute of New York in March reported that the US has sent at least 11 detainees [JURIST report] to a facility in Afghanistan that has been shown to torture prisoners. Earlier that month, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez formally accused the US government [JURIST report] of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment toward Pfc. Bradly Manning [JURIST news archive], the US soldier held in solitary confinement for nearly a year based on his alleged involvement in WikiLeaks. A federal court in December dismissed a lawsuit [JURIST report] by a former Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee alleging that he was subjected to torture, concluding that it did not have the power to review the interrogation practices.

Earlier this month, Rwanda was urged to stop [JURIST report] assisting accused DRC war criminal, General Bosco Ntaganda [case materials], who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website]. In 2010, a UN report claimed [JURIST report] that troops from Rwanda had committed crimes in the DRC that could amount to genocide. The unrest in the eastern part of the DRC has been the focus of the international community. Last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] expressed concern [press release; JURIST report] about the safety of the civilians in the region. Last month, former ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official website] sought [JURIST report] the immediate arrest of Ntaganda along with Sylvestre Mudacumura [ICC fact sheet, PDF], a foreign militia leader in the DRC.

I urge you to publicly denounce the statements inciting hatred and violence against LGBT people. ... The call to stone gay people is incitement to hatred and violence, and it should be condemned by you in the clearest terms and in the most public way possible. ... Bulgaria, as a member state of the Council of Europe, is subject to [the] recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to member states to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. ... There is no doubt that [the] call for stoning LGBT people falls under the category of hate speech that Council of Europe member states want to prohibit.

Sexual orientation and LGBT rights are contentious issues in societies worldwide. Ugandan Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Simon Lokodo said last week that the government was not discriminating based on sexual orientation [JURIST report]. The statement came days after the government had announced that it would ban at least 38 non-governmental organizations that are accused of recruiting children to homosexuality [JURIST report]. Earlier this month, a prominent Russian gay rights activist filed a complaint [JURIST report] with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging a St. Petersburg city ordinance that prohibits the spreading "homosexual propaganda" to minors. Also this month, the ECHR ruled that a Moldova law banning gay groups from protesting in front of the country's parliament violated citizens' rights [JURIST report] to peacefully assemble and to be free from discrimination. Last month, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released a report [JURIST report] concluding that in the US, incidents of hate-based murders against LGBT individuals increased in 2011.

In May 2011, Microsoft appealed [JURIST report] the 2008 fine arguing that the fines imposed by the Commission were excessive and undeserved because the EU regulators were not clear on how to follow the order from 2004. The 2008 fine came even after the Commission had announced [JURIST report] in October 2007 that Microsoft would take the necessary steps to comply with the 2004 order and the company had agreed to allow open source software developers to access and use interoperability information. In 2006, the company appealed [JURIST report] the second fine against it.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed last month that his government had nothing to do with the Houla massacre [JURIST report] and that "not even monsters" would carry out the attacks. Last month, UN human rights experts reported that both the Syrian government and anti-government groups were responsible for killings and other human rights abuses [JURIST report] in the conflict, even against children as young as 10 years old. Human rights advocates have continued to call on Syria to end violence against civilians. The UN Security Council in April approved implementation of a peace plan [JURIST report], which, in the wake of the Houla massacre, seems unlikely to succeed. In April, Human Rights Watch released a report [JURIST report] alleging that the Syrian government was responsible for killing more than 100 civilians. Also in April, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Syria [JURIST report] for attacks on civilians. The UN Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay in February also demanded a cease-fire [JURIST report] during an emergency Human Rights Council session. Syria's UN ambassador walked out of the session following Pillay's speech, calling the session illegitimate.

Earlier this month, Koh had rejected [JURIST report] a request by Apple for a preliminary injunction against four Samsung products including the Galaxy Tab 10.1. She had reasoned that the district court does not have jurisdiction over the case until the CAFC decides on Samsung's appeal. In May, the CAFC partially reversed [JURIST report] the district court's refusal to grant a temporary injunction for Apple against Samsung. Apple's request for a temporary injunction was denied [JURIST report] by the district court in December. Apple filed a suit [JURIST report] against Samsung in April of last year alleging that Samsung committed ten patent infringements, two trademark violations and two trade dress violations by copying iPhone and iPad technology in making its "Galaxy" products. Apple and Samsung are in constant dispute over patent infringement not only in the states. Last week, the District Court of The Hague ruled [judgment, in Dutch; JURIST report] in favor of Samsung against Apple by holding the company liable for infringing upon one of the Korean company's four patents, a 3G patent [EP1188269, text].

Hunting is a contentious issue in Europe. In 2009, the Swedish Sami Association (SSR) brought a lawsuit against the Swedish government [JURIST report] claiming that the state is violating the hunting rights of the indigenous Sami people by allowing all European Union (EU) citizens to hunt in a disputed mountainous region in northern Sweden. In 2005, British fox-hunters clashed with authorities [JURIST report] and advocates against animal cruelty on the first day of a ban on hunting with dogs. In 2004, a British hunting organization said it would file suit [JURIST report] to stop the ban from taking effect, and if they failed, they would seek an injunction to delay its enactment in February. The British government said it would not oppose the injunction.

The courts are not empowered to second-guess the City by conjuring up a "contract" from bits and pieces of documents meant to explain and condition participation in what was a voluntary government program. Indeed, doing so can only discourage governmental bodies from enacting voluntary programs to help the needy; they will fear being compelled by judges to continue such programs even if sources of funding are reduced or withdrawn. However much our sympathies may lie with plaintiffs, the fact remains that the courts below found, with record support, that the City made no contractual commitment to continue the Advantage program through expiration of plaintiffs' leases.

Providing the homeless with suitable housing options has been a long-standing issue in New York City. In September 2008, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg [official profile] reached [JURIST report] a settlement [press release] in a lawsuit over homeless families' rights to use shelters throughout the city. The lawsuit, McCain v. Koch [NYT report], was initially filed in 1983 by the Legal Aid Society. As that lawsuit progressed through the court system other complaints were filed, prompting the city to declare a right to shelter [Coalition for the Homeless report, PDF] which was enforced through the court system. The new agreement announced was supported by many rights groups, including the Coalition for the Homeless [official website], and allowed for the City to resume complete control in setting its policy for dealing with an estimated 9,000 homeless families, which included 14,000 children.

Earlier this month, former Goldman Sachs [corporate website] director Rajat Gupta was convicted [JURIST report] of three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, also in connection with Rajaratnam. Several other defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the case. Former hedge fund consultant Danielle Chiesi pleaded guilty [JURIST report] in January. Former IBM senior vice president Robert Moffat was sentenced to six months in prison in September and ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine for his role in the scheme after pleading guilty [JURIST reports] in March 2010. Former Intel Capital executive Rajiv Goel pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to insider trading charges in February 2010. Rajaratnam, Chiesi, Goel and Moffat were arrested in October 2009 and charged [complaint, PDF] along with two other individuals and two business entities with insider trading. The complaint alleged that the individuals provided Galleon Group and another hedge fund with material nonpublic information about several corporations upon which the funds traded, generating $25 million in illicit gain. Rajaratnam and Chiesi originally pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] in December 2009 after being indicted for insider trading.