HRW: US should investigate civilian deaths in Yemen raid News
HRW: US should investigate civilian deaths in Yemen raid

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on [HRW report] the United States to investigate the January 2017 US raid on Al-Qaeda that resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people. US special forces conducted an intelligence-gathering raid on the small Yemen town of al-Ghyeel on January 29, 2017. According to witnesses interviewed by HRW, US forces were engaged in a firefight with villagers when the military began to “target anything that moved and anyone who left their home.” According to those accounts, five women and nine children were killed during the fighting. Nadim Houry, terrorism and counterterrorism director at Human Rights Watch, stated,

As the civilian toll of the al-Bayda raid comes to light, it is increasingly clear that a thorough investigation is needed so that measures can be adopted to avoid such civilian losses in the future. If the US can’t do that impartially and transparently, they should ensure that an independent inquiry can be carried out.

Middle East relations have been tense of late, particularly since President Donald Trump’s executive order to restrict immigration refugee entry into the US. Trump signed the order in late January, restricting access to the US for refugees and visa holders from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Although the Department of Justice released a memorandum [JURIST report] approving of the ban, it has been widely criticized. According to JURIST Guest Columnist Karla McKanders, the order violates the Immigration and Nationality Act [JURIST report]. Earlier this month, JURIST Contributing Editor Marjorie Cohn discussed the constitutional violations resulting from the executive order, asserting that the order violates four Constitutional clauses and at least two international treaties.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.