Mexico's National Commission for Human Rights on Tuesday said that the country's police and prosecutors continue to use torture despite pledges by President Vicente Fox to halt such tactics. Jose Luis Soberanes , president of the commission, said that officials were increasingly resorting to psychological rather than physical forms of torture. He urged the government [...]

The Uzbekistan Supreme Court Tuesday took the remarkable step of issuing a statement defending its recently-concluded trial of 15 individuals accused of leading a May, 2005 uprising in the town of Andijan which led to the 15 being sentenced to 14 to 20 years in prison . Responding to international criticism and expressions of concern [...]

The Texas Supreme Court Tuesday declared a statewide property tax unconstitutional because it sets a cap limit that most school districts are at or near already. The ruling partly affirmed and partly reversed a prior decision by District Judge John Dietz which also held that the finance system does not provide equal funding to both [...]

The US Education Department on Tuesday planned to send to states initiatives easing some requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) , which educators have roundly criticized for its rigidity. In an effort to gain approval and to thwart congressional attempts to amend the law, the Department will allow as many [...]

During a hearing in a high-security Madrid court Tuesday, defendants in the largest trial of accused members of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) refused to answer any questions regarding their alleged crimes or their involvement in the pro-Basque organization. All 56 individuals accused of ties to ETA asserted that the Spanish government's prosecution violated their civil [...]

AP is reporting that a federal jury has found Ahmed Omar Abu Ali guilty of joining al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush . Abu Ali was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2003 and his trial began last month after US District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee denied Abu Ali's motion to suppress his confession, [...]

Leaders of Bosnia's three main ethnic groups Tuesday agreed to a deal on revisions to that country's constitution that would consolidate governmental power in a strong national government. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice lauded the accord, saying it was the first step in the war-torn country rejoining the international community. On Monday, the United [...]

US v. Adham Amin Hassoun et al., United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, November 17, 2005 . Read the full text of the indictment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Leading Tuesday's environmental law news, new water pollution standards designed to protect the Chesapeake Bay went into effect Monday. The Virginia regulations establish new limits on the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus that can be discharged by municipal sewage treatment plants and industrial facilities. The regulations were approved by the State Water Control Board and [...]

US Rep. Tom DeLay on Tuesday asked a Texas judge to dismiss the felony conspiracy charges against him. Senior Judge Pat Priest refused to make an immediate ruling on the case, saying he wanted to read the briefs from both parties before ruling on the pre-trial matter. Prosecutors argue that DeLay and his co-defendants solicited [...]