Indonesia continues opposition to ‘unnecessary’ East Timor tribunal News
Indonesia continues opposition to ‘unnecessary’ East Timor tribunal

[JURIST] Indonesia Thursday continued to characterize an international tribunal for the 1999 East Timor violence [Wikipedia backgrounder] as "unnecessary" despite a UN report [PDF full text] formally released Wednesday that called for international oversight [UN press release]. Rights groups have also called [JURIST report] for Indonesia to go along with the UN's recommendation. Indonesia maintains that a Truth and Friendship Commission it established [JURIST report] with its former territory is sufficient to handle the cases of those involved in the rampage that took the lives of 1,500 civilians, but the UN has called it "manifestly inadequate" [JURIST report]. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

Supreme Court strikes down Massachusetts anti-draft law

On November 9, 1970, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in Massachusetts v. Laird not to hear the case of the state's anti-draft law. Massachusetts had passed a law, which allowed its citizens to decline to fight in any undeclared war, even if the person was drafted. The law was passed in opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam. The First Circuit found the war constitutional and thus struck down the law.