UN panel condemns US trial of Castro spies News
UN panel condemns US trial of Castro spies

[JURIST] The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] Thursday condemned the 2001 Miami federal court conviction of five Cubans who spied on US anti-Castro groups ["Free the Five" advocacy website], calling their long jail terms – including three life sentences – "arbitrary." In an opinion obtained by Reuters on Thursday, the independent five-person panel of lawyers said that the trial lacked "objectivity and impartiality," and also noted that the five had been held in solitary confinement for 17 months prior to trial. The UN group, whose rulings are not binding on countries, urged the US government "to adopt the necessary steps to remedy the situation." Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

President Harding signed "anti-beer bill"

On November 23, 1921, President Warren G. Harding signed the Willis-Campbell Act, popularly termed the "anti-beer bill," prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes.

Convention on Cybercrimes opens for signature

On November 23, 2001, the Convention on Cybercrime was opened for signature in Budapest, Hungary, before entering into force on July 1, 2004. The Convention seeks to coordinate the Internet laws of signatory states and promote international enforcement of cybercrime laws. Learn more about the Convention on Cybercrime from the Council of Europe.