Lawyers representing the Bush administration argued for the dismissal of a class action lawsuit challenging the legality of the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program Wednesday, urging the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to give the executive branch's assertion of the state secrets privilege the "utmost deference" because the US is engaged [...]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez proposed comprehensive constitutional reforms Wednesday, asking the National Assembly to debate measures that will extend the presidential term from six to seven years, eliminate the limit on the number of terms a president may serve, bring the currently independent Central Bank under the control of the government, and give the government [...]

At least 10,000 supporters of Thailand's former ruling party protested Wednesday against a proposed draft constitution , as an August 19 national referendum looms. Members of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's dissolved Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) also appeared at the Bangkok rally, organized by the People Power Party, to speak out against the current military-backed [...]

The Cuban government has released a second imprisoned political dissident in less than a week, the National Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) said Wednesday. Labor movement activist Lazaro Gonzalez Adan was imprisoned in 2004 after refusing police orders to remove quotes painted on his home that were deemed critical of the Cuban [...]

More than 300 Kenyan journalists marched in the capital city of Nairobi Wednesday, voicing their opposition to a provision in a proposed law that would give courts the authority to force journalists to disclose confidential sources. The provision, part of a proposal to establish an independent council to adjudicate complaints against the media, was introduced [...]

Jurors in the terror trial of Jose Padilla and co-defendants Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi began deliberations Wednesday after federal prosecutors and defense lawyers completed closing arguments . All three defendants are accused of conspiring to murder US nationals, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and providing material support to terrorists. They [...]

Iranian judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi confirmed Wednesday that Iranian authorities have detained journalists Masoud Bastani, Farshed Gorbanpour, and Soheli Assefi, accusing the three of "publishing false statements and lies" about the Islamic Republic of Iran. Jamshidi said that Assefi, who has been detained since August 4 , has been granted a $162,000 bail. A judiciary [...]

US forces in Iraq have detained an additional 5,000 people in the four months since the "troop surge" instituted by the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) , increasing the number of detainees in American custody from approximately 18,000 to 23,000, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. Detainees held in Iraqi-operated detention facilities have also risen to [...]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and ranking Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) have asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to postpone its implementation of proposed guidelines intended to limit how federal courts can review state-issued death sentences. In a letter sent to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales obtained by AP Tuesday, the senators [...]

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should deploy observers to monitor the status of human rights in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged in a briefing paper released Tuesday. HRW Africa director Peter Takirambudde called on SADC members to "take strong and effective action" in order "to deal with one of the region's most grave [...]