Discriminatory violence, and incitement to discriminatory violence, against any section of Hungarian society should be publicly condemned and all acts of racially motivated harassment and violence thoroughly investigated.

Roma [JURIST news archive] continue to be targets of discrimination in Europe. Two weeks ago the UN urged the international community to end discrimination against Roma [JURIST report]. In May the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] implored the government of Moldova to adopt a comprehensive anti-discrimination law [JURIST report] that protects, amongst other groups, the Roma people. In April Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called on the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to stop discriminating against Roma [JURIST report]. In October the OHCHR called on authorities [JURIST report] to end the hate speech and discrimination [press release] against the Roma migrants in Bulgaria. Last April AI urged Serbian authorities to halt the forced evictions [JURIST report] of Roma in Belgrade and provide them with adequate housing and compensation. In March 2011 AI released a report [JURIST report] documenting discrimination and human rights violations against Roma migrants in Slovenia and urging the Slovenian government to protect Roma communities. The report revealed that Roma communities are being denied access to housing, water and sanitation. Much of the Roma population is living in overcrowded shacks without access to adequate health care services, schools, shops and employment.

Iran's nuclear program remains controversial across the world, as many governments suspect the nation of producing nuclear weapons. In February UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on Iran to prove its commitment not to seek nuclear weapons after giving remarks [JURIST report] at an event marking the 15th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Earlier that month the US began imposing strict sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear program, although Iran has claimed that its nuclear rights are being taken away [JURIST reports]. The UN has also continued to respond to Iran's nuclear program with caution, with new sanctions being imposed in June 2010, increasing the restrictions placed on Iran from the first set of sanctions in 2006 [JURIST reports].

Leung was sworn in as the chief executive of Hong Kong [Huffington Post report] in early July. Shortly after he was sworn in, more than 400,000 protesters organized in Hong Kong [AFP report] to protest his leadership. The rally was the largest protest in the city for more than ten years. Leung was elected to his position by obtaining a majority of votes from a committee of 1,200 business leaders and other influential citizens who support Beijing.

Brazil [JURIST news archive] has been at the center of several recent high-profile environmental legal disputes. Earlier this month a federal court in Brazil ordered Chevron and drilling company Transocean [corporate websites] to suspend all oil drilling in Brazil [JURIST report] in the wake of two oil spills off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. In April the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies [official website, in Portugese] passed controversial legislation [JURIST report] over intense opposition that eases conservation rules for farmers and provides amnesty from fines for illegally clearing trees. Earlier in April a Brazilian prosecutor filed an $11 billion lawsuit against Chevron [JURIST report] relating to leaks in an oil field in Brazil. In March a Brazilian prosecutor filed criminal charges against Chevron [JURIST report] with regard to an oil spill that occurred in late 2011.

Ten Commandments displays at courthouses have been the subject of legal controversy in recent years. The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in February 2011 upheld a lower court ruling barring the Ten Commandments [JURIST report] from being displayed in an Ohio courthouse. The Sixth Circuit in June 2010 upheld an injunction against similar displays [JURIST report] in two Kentucky courthouses. A month earlier, the same court denied an en banc rehearing in another case [opinion, PDF] involving the display of the Ten Commandments in a Grayson County, Kentucky, courthouse. The court found the display to be constitutional because it presented a valid secular purpose from the outset. In a 2005 decision, the Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of a Ten Commandments display [JURIST report] in a Mercer County, Kentucky, courthouse. A 2005 Supreme Court decision [JURIST report] prohibiting an earlier attempt at a similar display in Kentucky prompted lawmakers to propose a constitutional amendment [JURIST report] to overturn it. On the same day, the Supreme Court ruled that a six-foot-tall display of the Ten Commandments [JURIST report] on the grounds of the Texas state capitol was constitutionally acceptable because it had a secular purpose.

De la Rua has faced other charges associated with his past presidency. The Buenos Aires Appeals Court reinstated five charges of manslaughter [JURIST report] against de la Rua in 2009. The charges were dismissed in April of that year after a judge concluded that the prosecution had not established sufficient evidence to show that de la Rua initiated the chain of events that led to the deaths of five protesters. The deaths came during riots sparked by a national economic crisis [BBC report] that caused de la Rua to flee the presidential residence and eventually resign his office just two years into his term. De la Rua has also faced several other criminal charges. In 2008, he defended himself [JURIST report] against bribery charges. In December 2004, an Argentinian court charged [JURIST report] him with improperly allocating public funds for his own private use and for the use of his political party while serving in public office.

The arrest of 17 prominent Muslims for exercising their basic rights to free speech is just the latest misuse of Ethiopia's laws, and notably its anti-terrorism law. All those held should be immediately released unless the government can promptly produce credible evidence of unlawful activity.

Ethiopia [JURIST news archive] has drawn criticism from the international community regarding its recent human rights record. Last month UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] expressed concern that Ethiopia is intimidating journalists [JURIST report]. Earlier in July, Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] criticized [JURIST report] the imprisonment of 20 activists in Ethiopia under the nation's anti-terrorism law. In June, the Ethiopian Federal High Court [official website, in Amharic] convicted [JURIST report] 24 journalists, political opposition leaders and others under the anti-terrorism law. 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.

US law enforcement has come under scrutiny for targeting Muslim communities for surveillance in the past. A Muslim rights group filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] in June seeking to end a New York Police Department (NYPD) controversial surveillance program, which allegedly targets Muslim communities. In 2010, the FBI responded to criticism [press release] regarding alleged investigations into mosques and the Muslim community claiming that "the FBI [does not] have a surveillance program to monitor the constitutionally protected activities of houses of worship." A year earlier, FBI Director Robert Mueller said the FBI will continue investigating mosques [JURIST report] when there may be evidence or information regarding criminal wrongdoings after the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan sent a complaint to Holder alleging the FBI had been asking members of the Islamic community to spy on religious leaders and followers.

The deportation of alleged Nazi collaborators has been a contentious legal issue recently. Earlier this month Slovakian authorities filed charges against a 97-year-old Hungarian man arrested [JURIST reports] in Budapest in July on allegations of abusing and helping deport thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. In May a US immigration court ordered the deportation of former SS guard Anton Geiser [JURIST report] to Austria for serving as an armed guard at the Sachsenhausen and the Buchenwald concentration camps during World War II. In January German prosecutors filed a motion [JURIST report] to imprison Klaas Faber, a Dutch native who fled to Germany after being convicted in the Netherlands in 1947 of Nazi war crimes.

Employing the 'flexible' standard discussed in Crawford in the context of a very similar state statute in Indiana, I reach the same conclusions the United States Supreme Court reached. ... Thus, the photo ID requirement ... is a reasonable, non-discriminatory, non-severe burden when viewed in the widespread use of photo ID in daily life. The Commonwealth's asserted interest in protecting public confidence in elections is a relevant and legitimate state interest sufficiently weighty to justify the burden.

In July the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] announced that it would investigate Pennsylvania's voter ID law [JURIST report]. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania [advocacy website] challenged the law [petition for review, PDF; JURIST report] in May, asking a court to block enforcement of the law in the upcoming November elections. The group claims that the new law violates the Pennsylvania Constitution [text] and will prevent eligible voters from casting their votes. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett [official website] signed the bill into law [JURIST report] in March. It was passed earlier that week in the House of Representatives by a vote of 104-88. Supporters of the proposed legislation said that it will combat voter fraud. Unlike the current trend of voter ID laws, Pennsylvania's allows voters to vote without an ID as long as they verify their identity within six days of voting. Absentee ballots will also only require identification by Social Security number. There are now 32 US states [NCSL backgrounder] that require voters to present some form of ID at the polls, but the issue remains controversial.

The international community has strongly criticized the Syrian government during its prolonged and violent conflict with opposition forces. Head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) [official website] on Monday expressed concern [JURIST report] about the growing number of civilian casualties in violent clashes between government forces and armed opposition groups. Earlier this month the UN General Assembly passed a resolution [JURIST report] criticizing the Syrian government for increasing its use of heavy weapons and calling on both sides of the conflict to stop fighting. Also this month Amnesty International published a report holding Syria responsible for crimes against humanity [JURIST report]. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay in July insisted that the Syrian government take steps to protect civilians [JURIST report] during armed conflicts. Earlier that month, Amos urged parties to the conflict to avoid harming civilians [JURIST report]. She stressed that failure to take precautions to distinguish between civilians and combatants amounts to a war crime.

The plaintiffs sought to rely upon the restraint upon the legislative power of the Commonwealth Parliament found in s 51(xxxi) of the Constitution, which empowers the Parliament to make laws with respect to "the acquisition of property on just terms". The plaintiffs argued that some or all of the provisions of the Act were invalid because they were an acquisition of the plaintiffs' property otherwise than on just terms. At least a majority of the Court is of the opinion that the Act is not contrary to s 51(xxxi).

The Tobacco Plain Packaging Act has raised controversy since it was enacted [JURIST report] in November. In December, JURIST guest columnist Allyn Taylor opined [JURIST op-ed] that a successful lawsuit by tobacco companies challenging the Plain Packaging Act could be a major setback for government efforts to protect the public from the dangers of tobacco. Earlier in December, a major tobacco company, Imperial Tobacco [corporate website] filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] challenging the Plain Packaging Act. This came on the heels of another tobacco company, British-American Tobacco [corporate website] challenging the Act [JURIST report]. In November, Philip Morris Ltd. [corporate website] initiated legal proceedings [JURIST report] to block enforcement of the Act.

Greenpeace International is not alone in its views of Russia's new "foreign agents" law. Last month the US State Department [official website] claimed [Reuters report] it had "deep concern" about the new bill, but was likewise reminded by Moscow that such an issue involves domestic rather than international policy. Russia's Federal Council [official website], the upper house of parliament, approved the bill [JURIST report] last month much to the dismay of Putin's critics, who consider the bill an effort to curb free speech [RFE/RL report] and the right to assemble. Additionally, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] has stated [Reuters report] that Putin's recent regime is regressing into a more restrictive, Soviet-style type of government where freedoms are not recognized. The legislation was approved [JURIST report] by the State Duma [official website, in Russian], the lower house of parliament, only a few days prior. Three UN experts urged Russia to reject the bill [JURIST report] prior to its passage.