[JURIST] A Washington Post examination of US Department of Justice terror prosecutions to appear in the paper's Sunday edition shows very little progress in identifying and convicting terrorists since September 11, 2001. In contrast to President Bush's recent claims that federal terror investigations under the Patriot Act have resulted in charges against some 400 people and more than 200 convictions [JURIST report], the newspaper says that DOJ records show that only 39 of over 330 terrorism investigations [list] led to a conviction of a crime related to terrorism or national security, and that only 14 of the 39 people convicted had links to al-Qaeda. Approximately 180 suspects had no demonstrated connection to any terrorist group. Most convictions were for making false statements and violating immigration law, and average sentencing has been far from harsh, with an median term of imprisonment of 11 months. The Washington Post has more. NYU's Center for Law and Security has additional statistical analysis [PDF], as well as commentary [PDF].

[JURIST] Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwafaq al-Rubie said Saturday that the trial of former President Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] will take place before the currently-scheduled October 15 referendum on the new Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive], and that the trial will be broadcast live on television. Hussein will appear before the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website, English version] on charges likely related to the mass murder of Shias after the 1991 Gulf War, the "ethnic cleansing" of northern Kurds in 1998 and the invasion of Kuwait. Aljazeera has more.

[JURIST] A Iraqi Sunni leader concerned with low Sunni representation on the committee charged with drafting Iraq’s new constitution [JURIST news archive] reiterated Saturday that Sunnis will suspend work on the document if the make-up of the committee is not altered. Adnan Dulaimi, chairman of the Sunni charitable foundation body, told Islam Online that if their demands were not met they would seek arbitration by a neutral body like the UN. Iraqi president Jalal Talabani [Wikipedia profile] last week voiced support for the request of adding 23 Sunnis to the 2 currently on the 55-member committee, but leaders of the Shiite-dominated government feel that number would be unreasonable. Sunnis, who boycotted the December elections [JURIST news archive], won only 17 seats in the country's parliament. The interim Iraqi constitution sets a tentative deadline of August 15 for the drafting process, although a one six-month extension can be sought before August 1. IOL has more.

[JURIST] Violence broke out on the streets of the Polish capital Warsaw [official website, English version] Saturday when right-wing activists confronted over 2,000 homosexuals marching for gay rights in the predominantly Catholic country. Three people were injured and ten were arrested after counter-demonstrators opposed to Warsaw Pride threw eggs and placed barricades in front of the parade route. The rally was held despite a ban [AAP report; protest petition against ban] by conservative Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski [Wikipedia profile; official profile in English], a likely candidate [campaign website in Polish] to succeed current Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski in elections this October, who said that there was an error in the filing of the parade application [MP3 audio; Radio Polonia report in English]. The International Lesbian and Gay Association [advocacy website] offers background on recent gay rights issues in Poland. AFP has more.

[JURIST] Republican Senator Mel Martinez [official website] has become the first major GOP lawmaker to call for the closure of the military terror detention camp at Guantamao Bay [JURIST news archive]. Speaking Friday in Florida, Martinez, a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the first term Bush cabinet, called the facility an "icon of bad news". His comments echo those of several high-profile Democrats [JURIST report] who have recently called for Guantanamo to the closed, even as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said there are no plans to shut it down [JURIST report]. The Miami Herald has more.

In a related story, the Bush administration announced Friday that it has reconsidered its earlier decision to send home three Uzbek prisoners currently being held at the terrorism detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, citing concerns about Uzbekistan’s treatment of protesters [Amnesty International report] after recent civic disturbances [JURIST report]. The UN Convention Against Torture [text] bars extraditing prisoners to states where doing so would place them in danger of torture. The Boston Globe has more.

[JURIST] Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura [official profile] has pledged $11 million to fill a funding gap for a tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge [Wikipedia backgrounder] leaders for genocide, according to Cambodian government sources. Machimura met with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh on Friday. The Khmer Rouge trials are expected to cost over $70 million and the Cambodian government itself was only able to come up with $1 million. Japan had previously agreed to cover half the budget, while Australia, Britain and France have offered $10 million each. Earlier this month, the Cambodian opposition's Sam Rainsy party [official website] called for the Cambodian government to allow public contributions [JURIST report] and Cambodian officials also appealed to the UN for additional funding [JURIST report] in March. Japan's Kyodo News has more.

[JURIST] Lawyers for former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers [Wikipedia profile] filed a motion Friday asking for a lesser sentence for his fraud conviction [JURIST report] in March. The motion included support from Ebbers' family members, friends, and former employees in over 150 letters outlining his character and his many charitable gifts to organizations such as the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board and his alma mater Mississippi College. Ebbers' attorneys also requested that his heart-related medical condition be a factor in the sentencing decision. According to the federal sentencing guidelines [manuals and amendments, PDF], Ebbers may be facing up to 85 years in prison, although the Supreme Court recently ruled that the guidelines are not mandatory [JURIST report]. Ebbers' sentencing is expected on take place on July 13. The Clarion-Ledger has more.

[JURIST] Six justices of the US Supreme Court [official website] held over $1 million in assets in 2004, according to new annual financial disclosure statements [US Government filing rules] released Friday. O'Connor, Breyer, Ginsburg, Scalia, Souter, and Stevens are the millionaires, while O'Connor was the court's busiest traveler last year through her research into international law, attending lectures, receiving awards, and meeting with students. O'Connor and Rehnquist supplemented their income with book deals and Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy each received over $20,000 last year for teaching at law schools. The financial report details earnings, gifts, and travel reimbursements, but does not include the justices' homes and various other accounts. The US Supreme Court offers biographies [PDF] on each justice. Judicial Watch has posted the 2003 financial disclosure reports for Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, Kennedy, O'Connor, Scalia, Souter, Stevens, Thomas, and Chief Justice Rehnquist [PDFs]. AP has more.

[JURIST] Venezuela delivered evidence [press release] to the US State Department Friday related to Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles [BBC profile] who is sought by Caracas for allegedly blowing up a Cuban plane as part of a terrorist attack in 1976. The Venezuelan Embassy [official website] in Washington said the documents show "probable cause" that Posada was the mastermind behind the bombing and include an admission by a former employee of Posada, who says he placed a bomb in a toilet of the Cuban plane. Posada was a former CIA agent who vehemently opposes Cuban President Fidel Castro [Wikipedia profile] and escaped from a Venezuelan prison in 1985. He was detained in Miami last month and will go before a US judge in Texas Monday on charges that he illegally entered the US [JURIST report]. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez [BBC profile] is demanding that Posada be handed over to Venezuela for the bombing trial, which the US has previously refused [JURIST report], while also threatening to reevaluate the country's relationship with the US as Venezuela's biggest importer of oil. Reuters has more.