In Other News … News
In Other News …

The legal world is a busy place. Here are a few stories we didn’t get to this week that we thought you might be interested in.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Monday there are “strong indications of election fraud in Honduras,” calling for a full investigation [press release].

Also Monday, HRW sent a letter [text, PDF] to the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar urging them to rethink an agreement to begin returning Rohingya refugees by January 23, arguing that the timetable will not allow for safe and voluntary returns.

Romania’s lower house of parliament on Monday approved controversial court reform legislation [materials, in Romanian] that critics claim will threaten judicial independence.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed [press release] a bill [AB 499 materials] into law Monday allowing copper and gold mining, despite objections from environmental groups.

A Ukrainian court on Monday ordered the release [RFE/RL report] of opposition leader and former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.

The Committee to Protect Journalists [advocacy website] reported Wednesday that a record number of journalists were imprisoned [materials] in 2017, with more than half jailed in Turkey, China and Egypt.

Ohio lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to legislation [HB 214 materials] that would prohibit abortions because of a Down syndrome diagnosis, sending the bill to Governor John Kasich.

Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on Thursday rejected a bid [NYT report] to ban gay and extramarital sex.

A commission investigating child sex abuse in Australia released its final report [materials] Friday, finding decades of abuse in schools and religious institutions.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday refused to disqualify [judgment, PDF] opposition leader Imran Khan from parliament.

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked [order, PDF] Trump administration rules that allow employers to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage for religious reasons.