The BBC is reporting a statement by the Nigerian government that wanted war crimes suspect Charles Taylor , the former Liberian president indicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) who it said it would turn over to Liberian authorities , is missing from the villa in the south of country where he [...]

Afghanistan's Justice Minister said Tuesday that authorities have released Abdul Rahman , the Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity. Sarwar Danish did not provide any legal details, but prosecutors had indicated Monday that Rahman was undergoing a mental examination that could have contributed to the decision to free [...]

Jail sentences were handed down Monday by Belarusian courts for more than 150 protestors who were detained by police while taking part in recent election protests. Thousands of citizens gathered last week to demonstrate against alleged election fraud in the March 19 presidential elections in which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was reelected to a third term. [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments on whether prisons which deny difficult inmates access to newspapers, magazines, and photographs are violating the First Amendment . In the case of Beard v. Banks , the Court focused on whether the court should regulate states in managing their inmates and whether prison officials who [...]

The last meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights took place in Geneva Monday, as its replacement prepares to hold its first session on June 19. The UN Human Rights Council was brought into being by a General Assembly resolution earlier this month after five months of negotiations following the UN World Summit. The [...]

Abdul Rahman , currently facing the death penalty in Afghanistan for converting from Islam to Christianity, has appealed for asylum, UN spokesman Adrian Edwards said Monday. Earlier Monday, several hundred people responded to a judge's decision that the prosecution lacked sufficient evidence to proceed with the case by protesting Rahman's potential release . Rahman was [...]

US District Judge Ivan Lemelle on Monday refused to order changes to New Orleans municipal elections scheduled for April 22. Lemelle held a hearing Monday morning to consider arguments from civil rights groups that the elections should be postponed due to the large numbers of African-American residents who have been displaced outside Louisiana due to [...]

The US Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday softened HR 4437 , the controversial immigration reform bill passed by the House in December, by adopting an amendment by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) that would protect charitable organizations, churches and individuals providing aid to undocumented immigrants from all criminal charges. Under the House legislation, knowingly aiding an [...]

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) decided in a 6-0 vote Monday to approve rules that include subject Internet advertising to current campaign finance laws. The rules will regulate only paid advertisements on another person's website, and will not include blogs, e-mails, and other online publications. The FEC introduced the proposed rules Friday in response to [...]

Algimantas Dailide , a retired real estate broker from the Cleveland and Gulfport FL areas, was convicted Monday in his Lithuanian hometown on charges of helping the Nazis commit genocide against Jews in the town of Vilnius during World War II. As a result of his conviction, Dailide faced 5-20 years in prison, but the [...]