International brief ~ Nepal Supreme Court suspends NGO law News
International brief ~ Nepal Supreme Court suspends NGO law

[JURIST] Leading Wednesday's international brief, the Nepal Supreme Court [government website] issued a ruling Wednesday suspending the new Code of Conduct law that governs the behavior of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Nepal. Justice Parmananda Jha issued the stay in light of a petition filed Monday by nine Nepalese NGOs. The NGOs, as well as other international NGOs [JURIST report], allege that the Code is nothing more than a covert method of government suppression of NGO activities, activities which often result in reports or statements critical of the government's actions. The stay is effective until next Tuesday, when the Supreme Court will have decided whether to allow the petition to continue. JURIST Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Nepal [JURIST news archive]. Kantipur Online has local coverage.

In other international legal news …

  • Zimbabwe High Court Judge Tendai Bunhu, along with a prominent Zimbabwean businessman, arrived at a one of the most productive dairy farms in Zimbabwe Tuesday, armed with police, district officials, and a government notice of eviction for the current white owner and claimed the land as their own. The farm relocation measure was one of the most controversial new powers granted to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe [BBC profile] under recent constitutional reforms [JURIST report]. Zimbabwean Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku has argued that members of the judiciary are entitled to land redisbursement just like all other black Zimbabweans, but political opposition groups and judicial-independence NGOs have alleged that the inclusion of top judicial officials amounts to a government bribe to ensure favorable court rulings. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Zimbabwe [JURIST news archive]. South Africa's News 24 has local coverage.
  • The African Union Peace and Security Council [official website] threatened the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) [BBC profile], the leading rebel group in the war-torn Darfur region [JURIST news archive] of Sudan, with sanctions if it continues to hamper peace talks with the Sudanese Government [official website]. The most recent peace talks had been delayed reportedly because of in-fighting between leaders in the SLM. The Peace and Security Council is tasked with overseeing the peaceful resolution of the 33 month-long rebellion by Darfur inhabitants, a conflict which has resulted in millions of internally-displaced-persons, hundreds of thousands of reports of rapes, and allegations of genocide. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Sudan [JURIST news archive]. The Sudan Tribune has local coverage.
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