JURIST's legal news service, powered by a team of over 40 law student reporters and editors led by Professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. http://jurist.org/paperchase JURISTremove_this@pitt.edu [JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called Wednesday on Bahraini authorities to make a prompt investigation into torture allegations [press release] made by four Shia activists who have been detained for more than two weeks. On August 27, after 15 days of solitary confinement, Abd al-Jalil al-Singace, one of the detained men, was brought for formal questioning and arraignment by Attorney General Ali Fadhul al-Buainain. Al-Singace told al-Buainain he had been handcuffed and blindfolded the entire time, beaten on... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/rights-group-urges-bahrain-to-investigate-torture-allegations.php 2010-09-02T15:23:59-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/rights-group-urges-bahrain-to-investigate-torture-allegations.php Megan McKee ... [JURIST] Current and former international prosecutors on Tuesday signed the fourth Chautauqua Declaration [text, PDF] praising recent advances in international law and urging countries to continue supporting the international courts in order to maintain the spirit of the Nuremburg Principles [text]. The prosecutors, who have worked with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the Extraordinary Chambers in the... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/prosecutors-urge-continued-support-of-international-tribunals.php 2010-09-02T13:39:34-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/prosecutors-urge-continued-support-of-international-tribunals.php Hillary Stemple ... [JURIST] The UN announced Thursday that it will delay the release of a report [UN News Centre report] that accuses Rwandan forces of committing acts of genocide in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] during the years following the 1994 Rwandan genocide [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive]. According to a statement by the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website], the report will be released on October 1 to allow... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/un-delays-release-of-controversial-drc-genocide-report.php 2010-09-02T11:14:48-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/un-delays-release-of-controversial-drc-genocide-report.php Andrea Bottorff ... [JURIST] A criminal court in Thailand on Thursday convicted two members of the pro-government People's Alliance for Democracy Network [party website, in Thai; BBC backgrounder], known as "yellow shirts," of defaming former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra [BBC profile; JURIST news archive]. Yellow shirt movement founder and Thai media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul and his former television co-host Sarocha Pornudomsak were convicted [AFP report] of defaming Thaksin during their television show by accusing him of insulting the monarchy. The two were sentenced... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/thailand-court-convicts-yellow-shirts-of-slandering-ex-pm.php 2010-09-02T09:10:28-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/thailand-court-convicts-yellow-shirts-of-slandering-ex-pm.php Jay Carmella ... [JURIST] A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website] on Wednesday denied [order, PDF] the government's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services [corporate website] and several other drilling companies challenging the government's latest moratorium on offshore drilling. The moratorium directive was issued on July 12 [JURIST report] by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar [official website] after the district court and US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/federal-judge-rules-against-drilling-moratorium.php 2010-09-02T08:03:53-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/federal-judge-rules-against-drilling-moratorium.php Erin Bock ... [JURIST] The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] announced [press release] Wednesday that it has charged [complaint, PDF] Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimulla Mehsud [NYT profile] in connection with the December 30 attack [WP backgrounder] on Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [official website] Afghan outpost Camp Chapman that left nine people dead. Mehsud identifies himself as the head of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) [CTC Sentinel Backgrounder], a Pakistan-based terrorist cell affiliated with the Afghan Taliban. The filing in the US District... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/doj-files-criminal-charges-against-pakistan-taliban-leader.php 2010-09-01T15:31:30-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/doj-files-criminal-charges-against-pakistan-taliban-leader.php Daniel Richey ... [JURIST] Former Illinois governor George Ryan [JURIST news archive] on Tuesday filed a motion [materials] in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois [official website] asking the judge to vacate his prison sentence, following a recent US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] decision that allegedly set new precedent supporting Ryan's appeal. In June, the Supreme Court ruled [opinion, PDF] in Skilling v. United States [Cornell LII backgrounder; JURIST report] that the "honest services" doctrine [18... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/illinois-ex-governor-ryan-appeals-conviction-following-honest-services-ruling.php 2010-09-01T13:24:03-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/illinois-ex-governor-ryan-appeals-conviction-following-honest-services-ruling.php Andrea Bottorff ... [JURIST] The Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Tuesday that the state ban on same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive] does not violate the US Constitution. The court also held that state trial courts do not have jurisdiction to hear cases involving the divorce of same-sex couples married in another state, overturning a 2009 ruling in which the 302nd Family District Court [official website] held that it had jurisdiction [JURIST report] over same-sex... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/texas-appeals-court-upholds-same-sex-marriage-ban.php 2010-09-01T13:05:27-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/texas-appeals-court-upholds-same-sex-marriage-ban.php Dwyer Arce ... [JURIST] The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [official website] announced Wednesday that a judge in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York [official website] has approved a fund set up by Bank of America (BOA) [corporate website] in accordance with the settlement agreement [JURIST report] reached earlier this year. The SEC had charged [JURIST report] BOA with misleading investors regarding billions of dollars paid to Merrill Lynch [corporate website] executives during the acquisition of the... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/federal-judge-approves-150-millisec-bank-of-america-settlement-fund.php 2010-09-01T12:31:03-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/federal-judge-approves-150-millisec-bank-of-america-settlement-fund.php Sarah Miley ... [JURIST] A judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona [official website] on Tuesday granted a motion to dismiss [order, PDF] a police officer's suit [JURIST report] challenging Arizona's controversial immigration law [SB 1070 materials, JURIST news archive]. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) [official website] filed a motion to dismiss the challenge made by Tucson police officer Martin Escobar arguing that the new immigration law would force him to violate Latinos' civil rights and subject him to... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/federal-judge-dismisses-police-officer-suit-against-arizona-immigration-law.php 2010-09-01T09:53:09-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/federal-judge-dismisses-police-officer-suit-against-arizona-immigration-law.php Ann Riley ... [JURIST] UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallstrom [EU profile] on Tuesday called for an end to impunity for leaders of militias and armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] for conducting mass rapes, saying that perpetrators would face war crimes charges [UN News Centre report]. UN representatives allege that Congolese rebel groups Mai Mai and the Democratic Liberation Force of Rwanda (FDLR) [GlobalSecurity backgrounders] raped between 150 and 200... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/un-official-calls-for-drc-militias-to-face-war-crimes-for-mass-rapes.php 2010-09-01T09:35:32-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/un-official-calls-for-drc-militias-to-face-war-crimes-for-mass-rapes.php Ann Riley ... [JURIST] The Obama administration on Tuesday appealed last week's ruling by the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] that granted a preliminary injunction [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] blocking federal funding for embryonic stem cell research [JURIST news archive]. The administration argues that Judge Royce Lamberth's holding is overbroad, endangering an array of research across multiple programs and centers while only serving a very attenuated economic interest of the plaintiffs in the case. According to the filing,... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/obama-administration-appeals-stem-cell-research-block.php 2010-09-01T08:06:54-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/obama-administration-appeals-stem-cell-research-block.php Daniel Richey ... [JURIST] The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] has begun considering a lawsuit filed by three Russian activists alleging their right to freedom of assembly has been violated, their lawyer said Tuesday. The court is reportedly deciding whether the case merits priority consideration [RIA Novosti]. The lawsuit stems from Russian law enforcement officials' suppression of protests [FH statement] being carried out by political and human rights activists. The three plaintiffs, chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki human rights group... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/europe-rights-court-reviewing-russia-freedom-of-assembly-complaint.php 2010-09-01T07:50:56-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/europe-rights-court-reviewing-russia-freedom-of-assembly-complaint.php Sarah Paulsworth ... [JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] on Tuesday denied [order, PDF] a request for an en banc rehearing of the case of Yemeni Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee Gahleb Nassar Al-Bihani [NYT materials]. In January, the court found [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] Al-Bihani "was both part of and substantially supported enemy forces" and held that his detention was authorized by domestic law. Al-Bihani's petition asked the court to rehear the case... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/dc-circuit-denies-rehearing-for-yemeni-guantanamo-detainee.php 2010-09-01T07:11:19-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/dc-circuit-denies-rehearing-for-yemeni-guantanamo-detainee.php Daniel Richey ... [JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Tuesday urged the Rwandan government [report, PDF; press release] to review its "genocide ideology" and "sectarianism" laws, which they say are being used to stifle freedom of speech and expression in the country. The laws were first enacted following the 1994 Rwandan genocide [HRW backgrounder; JURIST news archives], where hate speech and propaganda played a role in inciting violence against the Tutsi minority. In the report, AI acknowledged that prohibiting hate speech is... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/rights-group-calls-for-amendment-of-rwanda-genocide-ideology-laws.php 2010-08-31T14:56:21-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/rights-group-calls-for-amendment-of-rwanda-genocide-ideology-laws.php Hillary Stemple ... [JURIST] The lower house of the Tasmanian Parliament [official website] on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Relationships Act of 2003 [text], recognizing same-sex marriages [JURIST news archive] and civil unions registered in foreign countries and other Australian states. The amendment was aimed at ending discrimination against same-sex couples and was supported by all but three representatives [ABC report] of the 25-member house. Tasmanian Attorney-General Lara Giddings [official profile] praised the amendment's passage, calling it a small but important... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/tasmania-approves-law-recognizing-foreign-same-sex-marriages.php 2010-08-31T14:46:53-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/tasmania-approves-law-recognizing-foreign-same-sex-marriages.php Sarah Miley ... [JURIST] The Indian Supreme Court [official website] announced [text, PDF] Tuesday that it will reconsider a 1996 ruling allowing former employees of US chemical producer Union Carbide [corporate website] accused in relation to the 1984 Bhopal chemical spill disaster [BBC backgrounder] to be charged with negligence instead of culpable homicide. Seven men were convicted [JURIST report] in June on charges of "death by negligence" and sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay USD $2,100. The convictions were... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/india-high-court-to-reconsider-bhopal-convictions.php 2010-08-31T12:47:55-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/india-high-court-to-reconsider-bhopal-convictions.php Hillary Stemple ... [JURIST] Federal judges responsible for handling Social Security disability claims and immigration hearings are petitioning for increased security measures after data released Monday shows they have been the targets of numerous threats [press release, PDF]. According to the report released by the Association of Administrative Law Judges (AALJ) and the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) [official websites], security risks for federal employees handling these "emotional" cases have increased over the past five years. Citing a backlog in the number... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/administrative-law-judges-facing-increase-in-violent-threats-report.php 2010-08-31T09:02:41-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/administrative-law-judges-facing-increase-in-violent-threats-report.php Carrie Schimizzi ... [JURIST] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) [advocacy websites] filed a lawsuit Monday challenging [complaint, PDF] the US government's authority to conduct "targeted killings" against suspected terrorists. The ACLU and CCR allege that US citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi [NYT profile], suspected of being a member of al Qaeda [GlobalSecurity backgrounder] in Yemen, was placed on "government kill lists." The groups are bringing the suit on his behalf through his father Nasser al-Awlaqi, claiming targeted... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/rights-groups-file-suit-over-us-assassination-order-suspected-terrorist.php 2010-08-31T08:12:48-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/rights-groups-file-suit-over-us-assassination-order-suspected-terrorist.php Zach Zagger ... [JURIST] The Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday approved proposed constitutional reforms [press release] that would permit current President Mahinda Rajapaksa [official website] to seek an unlimited number of terms in office. The current number of terms for the executive, codified within Chapter VII of the Sri Lankan Constitution [materials], is limited to two. The proposed amendment now moves to the legislature, where two-thirds of Parliament [official website] will have to approve the change. The amendment is scheduled to be presented... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/sri-lanka-cabinet-approves-constitutional-changes-to-remove-presidential-term-limits.php 2010-08-30T14:09:29-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/sri-lanka-cabinet-approves-constitutional-changes-to-remove-presidential-term-limits.php Brian Jackson ... [JURIST] Defense lawyers for Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba [case materials; JURIST news archive] argued before the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] Monday that Bemba lacks the financial resources to ensure a fair trial over war crimes he allegedly committed in 2002 and 2003. Bemba's lawyers claim [AP report] that prosecutors have seized all of Bemba's assets and that a loan from the court's registry is insufficient to cover legal fees and other costs.... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/congo-rebel-leader-bemba-claims-lack-of-funds-precludes-fair-trial.php 2010-08-30T14:07:19-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/congo-rebel-leader-bemba-claims-lack-of-funds-precludes-fair-trial.php Matt Glenn ... [JURIST] A forthcoming UN report claims that troops from Rwanda and allied rebels committed crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [JURIST news archives] that could be classified as genocide if proven by the appropriate court, according to media reports. The draft report, first publicized by French newspaper Le Monde [media website, in French] last week, documents the extreme violence in the DRC from 1993-2003, alleging that tens of thousands of Hutus were killed by Rwandan troops [Le Monde... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/forthcoming-un-drc-report-suggests-genocide-by-rwanda-forces.php 2010-08-30T13:57:22-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/forthcoming-un-drc-report-suggests-genocide-by-rwanda-forces.php Ann Riley ... [JURIST] Arizona Governor Jan Brewer [official website] on Friday called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to remove any mention of Arizona [letter, PDF] and its passage of SB 1070 [JURIST news archive] from a human rights report [text, PDF; JURIST report] issued by the State Department. The report, submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] as part of a universal review, discussed the passage and current injunction of portions of SB 1070 within a section... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/arizona-governor-asks-state-department-to-drop-immigration-law-from-un-rights-report.php 2010-08-30T13:28:25-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/arizona-governor-asks-state-department-to-drop-immigration-law-from-un-rights-report.php Brian Jackson ... [JURIST] Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi has been named by multiple Iranian news sources as one of three top judicial officials who were suspended in connection with the torture deaths of three detained protesters, multiple Iranian media outlets reported [AFP report] Monday. The suspensions were announced last week [JURIST report], but the names of the officials had been withheld. According to the media reports, the other two officials are judges whose identities are still unknown. The suspension will strip Mortazavi of... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/iran-prosecutor-reportedly-suspended-over-detainee-deaths.php 2010-08-30T10:52:05-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/iran-prosecutor-reportedly-suspended-over-detainee-deaths.php Carrie Schimizzi ... [JURIST] Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan [official profile; JURIST news archive] on Sunday urged Kenya to reaffirm its commitment [press release] to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] after it welcomed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir [case materials; JURIST news archive] to a celebration for the country's adoption of a new constitution [JURIST report] last week. In his statement, Annan expressed his "surprise" at the presence of al-Bashir and called on Kenya to reaffirm its cooperation with the ICC. In... http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/annan-questions-kenyas-icc-commitment-after-al-bashir-visit.php 2010-08-30T09:47:55-05:00 http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/08/annan-questions-kenyas-icc-commitment-after-al-bashir-visit.php Carrie Schimizzi ...