The first trial of a Russian soldier for war crimes began Friday in Ukraine. According to Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Sergeant Vadim Shysimarin is accused of shooting a 62-year old civilian who was riding his bike in the Sumy Region of Ukraine, less than 200 miles from Kyiv, on February 28th. Venediktova stated, “or these [...]
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCRC) Friday released a statement condemning the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and calling for a “prompt, transparent” investigation into her death. Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on Wednesday while covering an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raid on the West Bank [...]
The Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (BAMP) Thursday filed a complaint in federal court to prevent the implementation of the City of Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning ordinance. The ordinance requires that a new development or substantial building improvements of 20 units or more to designate at least 10 percent for low-income residents. The inclusionary zoning ordinance [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada Friday ruled that extreme intoxication is a valid defense to criminal charges like murder and rape, overturning section 33.1 of the Criminal Code. The court upheld a lower courts’ ruling in R. v. Sullivan, which also found the extreme intoxication law unconstitutional, and overturned lower courts’ rulings in R. v. Chen [...]
Mélanie Cantin is a JURIST Staff Correspondent in Ottawa, and a 1L at the University of Ottawa. A bill to codify abortion rights was defeated Wednesday in the United States Senate. This rushed, desperate attempt came in the aftermath of a draft US Supreme Court decision leaked earlier this month that would overturn the seminal [...]
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Thursday reported more than six million people have fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. A total of 6,062,665 Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries like Poland, Romania and Russia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, UNHCR has tracked refugee data from Ukraine. The agency uses variety [...]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Thursday agreed to pay a $56 million settlement to the families of veterans who contracted COVID-19 during an outbreak at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in 2020. The families filed the class-action lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Holyoke is a state-run long term health care facility which [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Thursday passed a resolution to initiate an investigation into possible war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. The investigation will be conducted by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, an independent commission under the UNHRC responsible for coordinating and reporting upon national and international investigations. The commission is [...]
The US House of Representatives Select Committee investing the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol Thursday issued subpoenas for five Republican lawmakers. The Democrat-led committee subpoenaed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Mo Brooks (R-AL). In a press release, Chairman Bennie Thompson [...]
Law students and young lawyers in Ukraine are filing for JURIST on developments and issues arising as the country defends itself against Russian invasion. Here, JURIST Ukraine Chief Correspondent Anna Tymoshenko, a law student at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, talks about work that volunteers in Poltava, including herself, have been doing to provide camouflage netting for Ukrainian [...]
