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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal in Lawrence v. Florida , concerning a challenge to rules surrounding the one-year filing deadline for making habeas corpus claims in federal court. Florida death row inmate Gary Lawrence is questioning whether the deadline is suspended while the Supreme Court reviews his petition for [...]

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A UN delegation led by Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel arrived in the south African nation of Burundi Monday to help establish a truth and reconciliation commission and war crimes court. According to Michel, the 5-member group will facilitate negotiations between local transition government leaders on the "necessary juridical framework" to establish the commission [...]

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