Annan says thousands held in Iraq without due process News
Annan says thousands held in Iraq without due process

[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday that thousands of prisoners are being held in Iraq without due process, constituting "one of the major human rights challenges" faced by the country. In a report to the UN Security Council [official website] he noted that:

Despite the release of some detainees, their number continues to grow. Prolonged detention without access to lawyers and courts is prohibited under international law including during states of emergency
According to the Iraqi Justice Ministry, 6,000 of the 10,000 detainees being held are in US military custody. The US held over 8,000 people when it handed over political control of Iraq to local authorities. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriages became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 as the country's Civil Union Act, 2006 went into effect, making South Africa the only country on the African continent to legalize same-sex marriage. Read the Civil Union Act, 2006.