[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] voted Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) [text; DOJ backgrounder] for 25 years. The renewal bill [HR 9 summary; text, PDF] now goes to the Senate for approval after a final vote of 390-33 [roll call], with only Republicans dissenting. The House rejected several amendments that would have eased the procedures for states to follow, including one that would have decreased the renewal period to 10 years and another that would have dropped the requirement for ballots in multiple languages in districts with many non-English speakers.

House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced [JURIST report] the bill, which is known as the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, in May. It was brought back to the House floor after unanticipated objections by some Southern Republicans forced it off the agenda [JURIST report] at the last minute last month. AP has more.

[JURIST] Former South Korean lobbyist Tongsun Park [personal website; Washington Post profile], was convicted Thursday on charges [JURIST report] of money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and acting as an unregistered agent of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. A federal jury in New York spent less than a day deliberating in Park's trial, the first resulting from a scandal surrounding the now-defunct UN oil-for-food program [JURIST news archive]. Prosecutors accused Park of receiving about $2 million from Hussein in exchange for convincing US and UN officials to remove sanctions against Iraq. Park, who faces up to five years' imprisonment, has requested that US District Judge Denny Chin [official profile] dismiss the case based on the statute of limitations.

In the 1970s, Park was indicted but never convicted of improperly influencing the US Congress in the Koreagate scandal [Wikipedia backgrounder]. Park was charged last month in a separate case with lying to the FBI [JURIST report] about his role in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 986 [PDF text], which established the oil-for-food program in 1995. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] Jose Padilla [JURIST news archive] and his attorneys may view classified information from the US Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] in preparation for his terrorism trial, US District Judge Marcia G. Cooke [official profile] has ruled. Although defense lawyers are routinely granted access to confidential information after obtaining security clearance, allowing Padilla to examine the 32 documents and 57 videotapes containing statements he made under interrogation while detained by the US military is an unorthodox move. His lawyers claim that viewing documents with Padilla will help him remember his detention and contribute to his defense. Cooke, who ordered the prosecution to turn over additional evidence [JURIST report] to Padilla's defense last month, also outlined the strict procedures under which Padilla may view the materials, including observation by a US marshal from the doorway.

Padilla, initially suspected of planning to set off a "dirty bomb" in the United States, was charged [JURIST report] last year with conspiracy to murder US nationals, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists. He was transferred to civilian custody [JURIST report] in January of this year, when he pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to the terror charges. A trial is scheduled to begin in September. AP has more.

[JURIST] Valerie Plame, the undercover operative whose revealed identity precipitated the CIA leak scandal [JURIST news archive], filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] in federal court Thursday against Vice President Dick Cheney, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove [official profile] and former vice-presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby [defense trust profile] for their alleged roles in the scandal. In the suit, Plame asserts that Cheney, Rove, Libby and 10 unnamed administration officials violated her rights to privacy, free speech, and equal protection under the US Constitution, claiming that the defendants conspired to expose Plame, threatening her career and endangering her family. Plame contends that the defendants revealed her identity as an undercover CIA operative in retaliation for the statements made by her husband, former US ambassador Joseph Wilson, in which he denied that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase materials for a nuclear weapon in Niger, as the Bush administration had claimed.

Libby, the only government official facing criminal prosecution in the scandal, pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] in November to charges of obstruction of justice and perjury [indictment, PDF; JURIST report], and some believe President Bush may pardon him [JURIST report]. AP has more.

[JURIST] Amnesty International issued a scathing statement on Thursday condemning Israel and Lebanese political group Hezbollah [Wikipedia backgrounder] for causing civilian deaths and taking hostages in violation of Geneva Convention protections. Israeli air strikes killed 40 civilians and injured 60 in southern Lebanon on Wednesday after Hezbullah crossed the Israeli border, kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing eight others. Amnesty said the Israeli and Hezbollah actions violated Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention [text], which bans "collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism," as well as Article 147, which bans hostage-taking and "extensive destruction...not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly." Amnesty called on the Lebanese government to "take concrete measures to ensure that Hezbollah complies with [its] obligations under international law."

Meanwhile, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has urged [press release] that those responsible for killings in Israel and the Palestinian Authority be held accountable. Philip Alston said that both sides must cooperate with procedures established by the Human Rights Council [official website], which held a special session last week where the Council condemned the West Bank conflict [JURIST report] as breaching international law, and adopted a resolution [PDF text] calling for the end of violence against civilians.

5:44 PM ET - Also Thursday, the US vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution advanced by Qatar and supported by Arab countries that would have accused Israel of a "disproportionate use of force" against Palestinian civilians and called for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The veto was the first for the US in almost two years. Read US UN Ambassador John Bolton's explanatory statement. Denmark, Peru, Slovakia and United Kingdom abstained from voting on the draft, which additionally called on Israel to free Palestinian Hamas lawmakers it had seized and urged the Palestinian Authority to act to stop rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza. AP has more. The UN News Center has additional coverage.

[JURIST] President Bush has agreed to sign legislation authorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) [FJC backgrounder] to review the NSA's controversial domestic spying program [JURIST news archive], US Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) told the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. Specter has been negotiating a bill with the White House since June, when he threatened to subpoena administration documents [JURIST report] related to the NSA program. Provisions of the bill [PDF text] include a requirement that the attorney general provide the FISC information on the NSA program, including the criteria used to determine whether intercepted communications are related to terrorist activities, and an expansion of the period where emergency wiretaps can be secured from the FISC from three to seven days. The bill also requires the Attorney General to submit bi-annual reports to the intelligence committees of the House and Senate detailing the "activities...under any surveillance program authorized under this title." Furthermore, the bill creates criminal penalties for government misuse of collected information and a clarification statement that international calls that are merely routed through the US are not subject to the warrant process under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [text].

An administration official talking about details of the proposed legislation also said that the bill could consolidate all lawsuits challenging the NSA program into one suit, to be heard by the FISC. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the most important part of the bill is the preamble, which recognizes the constitutional authority of the president to authorize such programs. AP has more.

[JURIST] A Chinese court has sentenced writer Li Yuanlong, a reporter for the Bijie Daily newspaper who wrote essays on websites banned by the Chinese government, to two years in prison for "inciting subversion of state authority," his lawyer said Thursday. Li pleaded not guilty during his May trial [CPJ report], after being charged [The Standard report] in February. Reporters Without Borders [advocacy website] condemned the sentence [press release] and praised Li for his reporting on the hardships faced by the poorest Chinese citizens.

Also on Thursday, another jailed journalist appealed his sentence and requested release to visit his doctor, according to a human rights group. Shi Tao was jailed for ten years for divulging details of a censorship order [HRIC backgrounder] to a US-based human rights group. Internet giant Yahoo has been accused of leading Chinese authorities to Shi [JURIST report] by turning over Shi's emails to local authorities, but Yahoo has refused to confirm the allegations. A verdict in the Zhao Yan state secrets case [JURIST report] is expected by July 25. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) [advocacy website] reported in 2005 that Chinese prisons held 32 journalists [CPJ report], allegedly more than in any other country. AP has more.

[JURIST] US Marshals took custody of three former NatWest [corporate website] bankers Thursday as the controversial extradition of the three British nationals went ahead as scheduled. Giles Darby, David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew will face seven counts of wire fraud for allegedly reaping around 1.5 million pounds each from a fraudulent sale of Enron stock. The three have proclaimed their innocence, and could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted. They are scheduled to attend a bail hearing in Texas federal court on Friday.

On Wednesday, British MPs protested the US-UK extradition treaty as 'lopsided' [JURIST report], calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to re-negotiate the treaty to include a presumption that British citizens accused of committing crimes in the UK should be tried there. The revised UK Extradition Act [text] incorporates the 2003 US-UK Extradition Treaty [text, PDF; Statewatch backgrounder] into British law, but the US has not yet ratified the instrument. Currently, the US may request that a UK citizen be extradited upon a simple showing of prima facie evidence, but the US will only extradite a US citizen to the UK if the UK shows that probable cause underlies the extradition request. BBC News has more.

Also on Thursday, UK Home Office minister Baroness Scotland [official profile] traveled to the US to lobby for US ratification [JURIST report] of the extradition treaty. EPolitix has more.

[JURIST] US President George Bush has said he will tell Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website, English version; BBC profile] that non-governmental organizations should be able to function "without intimidation" and that Russia needs to have an "active civil society" in private meetings between the two presidents during this week's Group of Eight (G8) [DOS backgrounder] summit in St. Petersburg. Russian NGOs have come under increased pressure since Putin signed a controversial law [JURIST report] earlier this year granting the state tighter control over them. Speaking Thursday at a joint news conference [transcript] with German Chancellor Angela Merkel [official website in German; BBC profile] on a brief stopover visit, Bush added that western nations need to continue to "remind Russia if she wants to [continue to] have good relations that she ought to share common values with us."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] also called on Russia Thursday to stop trying to stifle critics [MosNews report] of Russia in reference to Moscow protests last week where people were prevented from reaching the demonstration against the G8 summit [MosNews report]. HRW's comments came just one day after Putin accused western critics of using "colonialist" language in criticizing his country. BBC News has more.

[JURIST] US Sen. John Warner (R-VA) said Thursday that the White House should propose detainee trials legislation soon after the return of senior officials from the G-8 summit [White House materials] hosted by Russia this month. In comments during a US Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing [witness list], Warner also stressed that it is "absolutely imperative" that legislation be passed by the end of the year. Warner said private conversations with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley [official profile] showed that senior administration officials are conflicted on how the administration should proceed, given the US Supreme Court's holding in Hamdan that the military commissions [DOD materials] held at Guantanamo Bay as initially constituted violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) [text] and the Geneva Conventions [ICRC materials]. AP has more.

John McCain (R-AZ) meanwhile told reporters Thursday that administration officials had told him that the White House will not propose legislation aimed at creating solid legal footing for the current tribunal system, a strategy espoused by in the House Armed Services Committee during a Wednesday hearing [JURIST report; recorded audio], but rather will put forward a structure similar to the courts-martial system mandated by the UCMJ. McCain has previously suggested a framework based on the courts-martial system that would stop short of granting full legal rights to terror suspects. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [official website; BBC profile] warned Thursday that Iran may stop allowing UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) [official website] inspections of its nuclear facilities and pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) [PDF text] if international pressure to stop its nuclear program continues. Ahmadinejad's threat came shortly after key members of the UN Security Council [official website] announced [text] that Iran's failure to respond to demands to halt work that could lead to nuclear weapons would be referred to the Security Council for further consideration. Iran asserts that it wants to enrich uranium for the sole purpose of making reactor fuel. Representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the US and the EU said Wednesday that they have agreed to pursue a draft resolution [JURIST report] that would make mandatory an IAEA requirement that Iran suspend enrichment related and reprocessing activities. If Iran fails to comply with that resolution, the countries said they are committed to pursuing measures under Article 41 of the UN Charter [text], which authorizes complete or partial interruption of economic relations, means of communications and the severance of diplomatic relations.

World powers have offered a series of concessions to Iran in an effort to encourage Iran to stop its nuclear program, including diplomatic and technology incentives and multilateral talks with the US involved. In May, Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani said that Iran would not pull out of the NPT after Iranian lawmakers sent a letter [JURIST report] to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan threatening to withdraw from the NPT if Annan and other members of the Security Council failed "in their crucial responsibility to resolve differences peacefully." An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the country's ongoing commitment [JURIST report] to the NPT in February after Ahmadinejad publicly suggested he might walk away from the treaty [JURIST report]. Iran, which resumed uranium enrichment in January, ignored an earlier non-binding Security Council demand [JURIST reports] to stop the enrichment program. AFP has more. IRNA has local coverage.

[JURIST] Belarus prosecutors have requested a six-to-10-year sentence for opposition politician Alexander Kozulin [CFR profile and interview], who in March led what prosecutors say were unauthorized protests [JURIST report] over the controversial re-election [JURIST report] of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko [official website; BBC profile]. Prosecutors in the case said Wednesday that Kozulin's "guilt as a person dangerous to society is now fully established," while Kozulin was denied an opportunity to speak at the hearing, a court decision his lawyers derided as demonstrative of the lack of judicial independence in Belarus.

Over 600 protesters have been charged and 150 have received jail sentences in connection with demonstrating against the landslide re-election of President Lukashenko [JURIST reports]. An independent report called the elections severely flawed [JURIST report], and the European Union in April approved travel bans [PDF press release; JURIST report] on Lukashenko and 30 other top government officials in response to the government crackdown. AP has more.

5:57 PM ET - Kozulin's lawyer said Thursday that the opposition leader received a five-and-a-half year jail sentence, but that Kozulin was not in court when the sentence was handed down. Kozulin was removed from the courtroom after calling the trial "unfair" and labeling the judge an "executioner." AP has more.

[JURIST] The European Union [official website] may resume talks with Serbia over the country's possible accession [EU materials] into the EU this fall, even if indicted war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic [ICTY case backgrounder; JURIST news archive] has not been arrested and handed over to the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website], according to European diplomats Thursday. Talks can resume if Belgrade shows convincing evidence that it is actively searching for the missing suspect, last believed to be hiding in Serbia [JURIST report]. The EU suspended talks with Serbia in June over its failure to hand over Mladic, and the US cut off financial aid [JURIST reports] to Serbia for the same reason.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica [official profile; Wikipedia profile] will present the country's plan to capture Mladic to the EU on Monday, and EU diplomats have indicated that they will resume talks with Serbia if there is a "positive assessment of the plan by the tribunal." A British official denied that Mladic's arrest has always been a condition to membership talks, asserting that Serbia had to show "full cooperation" with the ICTY before EU membership talks could resume. A spokesman for ICTY chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte, however, indicated that membership talks were still conditional upon Mladic's handover. Mladic is wanted by the ICTY for allegedly organizing the 1995 slaughter of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica [JURIST news archive], Bosnia. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe [tribe website] filed a complaint [PDF text; press release, PDF] in a Texas federal district court on Wednesday alleging that former lobbyist Jack Abramoff [JURIST news archive], his associate Michael Scanlon [Wikipedia backgrounder] and former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed [campaign website] defrauded the tribe by lobbying to close its Texas casino nine months after it opened in November 2001. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the defendants turned the Louisiana-Coushatta Tribe, which operated a nearby casino in Louisiana, against the plaintiffs, and "violated Texas lobbying laws, set up sham entities and waged a lobbying battle fraught with misrepresentations and lies" by lobbying the Texas legislature to "halt a Texas measure that would grant the ... Tribe the unquestionable right to game under Texas State law." As a result, the complaint alleges, "the funding for economic programs evaporated, over 300 jobs were lost in Polk county, and the ... Tribe has spent years struggling to recover and revitalize its economy through other means."

Reed has been trying to distance himself from the Abramoff scandal throughout his campaign for lieutenant governor of Georgia. A recent Senate report [JURIST report; PDF text] called links between Abramoff and Scanlon, a former aide to US Rep. Tom DeLay [JURIST news archive], "astonishing." Both Scanlon and Abramoff [JURIST reports] have pleaded guilty in a massive fraud probe. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] The International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] on Thursday denied a request by Argentina [court materials] that Uruguay be barred from continuing construction of two paper mills along the river that separates the two nations [ASIL case backgrounder]. The court, voting 14-1, ruled [order, PDF; press release] that "the circumstances, as they now present themselves to the Court, are not such as to require the exercise of its power ... to indicate provisional measures." Because Argentina failed to prove that the construction of the mills "constitutes a present threat of irreparable economic and social damage," the court is allowing the construction to continue while a final judgment in the case is pending. But the court warned that

in proceeding with the authorization and construction of the mills, Uruguay necessarily bears all risks relating to any finding on the merits that the Court might later make; ... the Court points out that their construction at the current site cannot be deemed to create a
fait accompli because, as the Court has had occasion to emphasize, "if it is established that the construction of works involves an infringement of a legal right, the possibility cannot and should not be excluded a priori of a judicial finding that such works must not be continued or must be modified or dismantled."

[JURIST] A Connecticut Superior Court [official website] judge ruled [PDF text] Wednesday that civil unions do not harm same-sex couples, saying that they "share the same benefits, protections and responsibilities" as married couples. Judge Patty Jenkins Pittman further wrote that because civil unions enjoy the same benefits and protections as traditional marriages, same-sex couples receive equal protection and due process of law under the Connecticut Constitution [text].

Last year, the state approved civil unions for same-sex couples [JURIST report], giving them the same legal rights as heterosexual married couples, but plaintiffs argued that the marriage law still caused them to be treated as a separate class of citizens. Eight same-sex couples, assisted by the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) [advocacy website] challenged the law [GLAD materials], claiming that the state's marriage law is unconstitutional because it treats heterosexual couples differently than same-sex couples by defining marriage as existing only between a man and a woman. Connecticut Assistant Attorney General Jane Rosenberg defended the marriage law in March [JURIST report], saying homosexuals do not have a fundamental right to marry. GLAD plans to appeal [press release] Wednesday's decision. AP has more. The Hartford Courant has local coverage.

[JURIST] The European Court of First Instance [official website], the European Union's second-highest court, on Thursday rejected a proposed merger between Sony and Bertelsmann AG (BMG) [corporate websites] that earned unconditional approval [EC report] in July 2004 from European Commission (EC) [official website] regulators. The decision marks the first time that EU judges have turned back a Commission merger approval. Independent music trade association Impala [advocacy website] brought the legal challenge against the proposed merger, arguing that regulators did not support their findings that Europe's music industry was not operated as a monopoly either before or after the Sony BMG merger. Regulators found that evidence of promotional discounts before and after the deal suggested that the music industry was not inflating prices, but in the opinion [PDF text; summary PDF], the court found that regulators should have investigated claims of retaliatory measures in the industry more thoroughly, and that the commission's investigation overall was too cursory to withstand scrutiny.

Sony and BMG can appeal the decision within two months to the EU Court of Justice [official website]. Otherwise, they must resubmit their antitrust clearance applications to the EC within seven days, to be evaluated by the EC given current market conditions. The Washington Post has more.

[JURIST] The Thailand Constitutional Court [official website] agreed Thursday to hear arguments in a case against five political parties, including the ruling Thai Rak Thai [party website] party, the main opposition Democrats [party website], and three smaller parties, for allegedly "acting against democratic rule" during April's annulled parliamentary elections [JURIST report]. Last month Thailand's Election Commission [official website] unanimously recommended [JURIST report] that the five parties be prosecuted for breaking election laws [materials] when Thai Rak Thai paid the smaller parties to run candidates against it to satisfy minimum vote requirements. The Democrats are accused of illegally boycotting elections, and of conspiring with the smaller groups to convince Thai Rak Thai to bribe them.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra [official profile; BBC profile] has consistently denied the allegations [JURIST report]. A new national election [JURIST report] is scheduled for Oct. 15, but Thaksin said it could be delayed because of the political turmoil. AP has more.

[JURIST] France's far-right National Front [party website] leader Jean-Marie Le Pen [BBC profile], who surprised observers with his strong performance in the 2002 French presidential election [BBC backgrounder], will be put on trial in Paris for allegedly denying how brutal the Nazi occupation of France was during World War II, according to French judicial officials Wednesday. The charges stem from comments Le Pen made [BBC report] last year in an interview with the right-wing weekly magazine Rivarol [media website, in French], saying "in France, at least, the German occupation was not particularly inhumane, although there were some blunders." Under French anti-racism laws [text, in French; Wikipedia backgrounder on the "Loi Gayssot"], denying the Holocaust is a crime and Le Pen will be charged for "complicity in contesting crimes against humanity and complicity in justifying war crimes."

Le Pen's lawyers have already stated that Le Pen will likely be cleared of the charges, arguing that the comments were not strong enough to constitute a criminal offense and that Le Pen's were not meant for publication because he made the incriminating remarks after the formal Rivarol interview ended. Le Pen plans to run in the 2007 presidential election, and if convicted, will still be able to appeal the ruling and postpone a final verdict until after the vote. AP has more. BBC News has additional coverage.

[JURIST] House Majority Leader Jim Boehner (R-OH) on Wednesday scheduled seven more House hearings [press release] through the end of July on comprehensive immigration reform [JURIST news archive; House Judiciary materials], and characterized the first round of hearings [JURIST report] as a success for House Republicans who support strict enforcement-focused legislation. The new hearings, save one, will all be held in Washington DC, and will involve the House Homeland Security, Education, Judiciary, and International Relations [official websites] committees. After announcing the first round [JURIST report] of rare field hearings outside Washington late last month House Republicans denied they had timed them [JURIST report] to delay an immigration vote until after November elections.

There are few similarities between the Senate bill [S 2611 summary; JURIST report] and the House version [HR 4437 summary; JURIST report], which must be reconciled before a bill can be presented to the President. Last month, President Bush called on lawmakers to find a "rational middle ground" [JURIST report] between the Senate version, which includes a pathway to citizenship favored by Bush, and the House bill, which focuses border security. AP has more.

[JURIST] Lord Michael Levy [BBC profile; Wikipedia profile], chief fundraiser for British Prime Minister Tony Blair [official website], returned to a police station for questioning Thursday after he was arrested by Scotland Yard [Times report] Wednesday in connection with a growing "cash for honors" scandal [BBC Q&A]. The police official leading the investigation, Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates, described Levy's arrest as "integral" to the probe rather than "symbolic," although he said Levy would not necessarily be charged. Levy, who was released on bail, denied wrongdoing. Asked to comment on Levy's arrest, Blair's official spokesman said it was a matter for the Labour Party [press briefing summary].

The investigation began after revelations that some people recommended for peerages had made secret loans to Blair's Labour Party [party website] and other major political parties [JURIST report]. Trading cash for honors may violate the 1925 Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act [BBC backgrounder]. UK Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Lord Falconer has suggested [JURIST report] that new laws should be enacted requiring loans to political parties to be publicly disclosed. Commissioner Yates told Parliament's Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) in a closed-door briefing Thursday that 48 people had been questioned in the political corruption investigation - Britain's largest in 70 years. Also on Thursday, the PASC released a report [press notice] calling for further steps to ensure the propriety of peerages and honours. Read the full text [PDF] of the report, Propriety and Honours: Interim Findings. The London Times has more. BBC News has additional coverage.

[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan [official profile] said Thursday that the US Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] decision to apply the Geneva Conventions to detainees in US military custody [JURIST report] "strengthens the international rule of law, and is true to the U.S.'s strong tradition of respect for civil liberties."

A statement [text] released by Annan's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, reads, in full:

The Secretary-General welcomes the decision by the U.S. Government requesting its defence officials to promptly review all relevant directives, regulations, policies, practices and procedures within their purview affecting alleged Al Qaeda or Taliban militants detained in U.S. custody, in order to ensure that all such measures comply with the standards of common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

The Secretary-General believes this decision strengthens the international rule of law, and is true to the U.S.'s strong tradition of respect for civil liberties. He also believes, and has frequently stated, that strict compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law in no way contradicts or undermines efforts to counter terrorism, but on the contrary is essential to the success of those efforts. He encourages all countries to keep their legislation and practices under constant review, with a view to ensuring that they are in conformity with international humanitarian and human rights laws.

[JURIST] Massachusetts lawmakers on Wednesday decided to postpone a vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment [DOC text] to ban same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive] until after the November election, just days after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court [official website] ruled that the same-sex marriage ban can be placed on the ballot for voter approval [JURIST report], if the legislature approves the amendment. Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage [JURIST report] in 2003, when the Supreme Judicial Court ruled [text] that same-sex couples have a right to marry under the current Massachusetts Constitution [text]. Reuters has more.

In a related development, five same-sex couples with Arizona Together [advocacy website], an opponent of the Protect Marriage Arizona initiative [PDF text; advocacy website], filed a lawsuit [press release] in Maricopa County Superior Court [official website] against the initiative Wednesday, alleging that the initiative violates state rules requiring ballot questions to be on a single subject or issue. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano [official website] indicated Wednesday that the lawsuit could potentially remove the same-sex marriage ban from the November ballot. The Arizona Republic has more.

[JURIST] Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website, English version; BBC profile] on Wednesday signed a law that shortens the conscription term and wipes out five accepted reasons for military draft deferments. The law, passed [JURIST report] by both houses of parliament in June, reduces required military service from two years to one and a half starting in 2007, and then to one year in 2008. It abolishes five deferment reasons, however, including those for rural doctors and teachers and for people taking care of sick parents. The law also toughens the requirements for four other deferment reasons.

Russia has received international criticism in recent months for fostering a culture of military abuse [JURIST report], exemplified by cases in which officers have been convicted of abuse of rank and degradation in an incident that cost a conscript his legs, and of contracting out conscripts for personal gain [JURIST reports]. Russia's chief military prosecutor told the upper house of parliament [JURIST report] in February that 6,000 people were abused by Russian military personnel last year and that 2,600 soldiers were convicted of abusing other soldiers [JURIST report]. Some conscripts must be forcibly detained [HRW backgrounder] into service, and many avoid the military through bribes or fake doctor's certificates. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 16 soldiers died of abuse in 2005, while 256 committed suicide to avoid conscription [MosNews report]. AP has more.

[JURIST] Indian authorities have detained approximately 350 people for questioning in connection with Tuesday's Mumbai train bombings [BBC report], which killed over 200 people and wounded 700. Police Inspector S. Goshal said Thursday that none of the detainees have been formally arrested or charged, but that authorities brought the detainees in to help investigate the Tuesday bombing. Careful not to rock the fragile peace process between India and Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [official website] asked his citizens to remain calm and avoid spreading rumors about the attacks [BBC report] during a televised statement [transcript; recorded audio] Wednesday, referring to the perpetrators as general terrorists.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna on Thursday demanded that Pakistan break up all existing terrorist networks in the country but stopped short of blaming Pakistan, amid speculation that Kashmiri militants [BBC backgrounder] played a role in the series of eight bombs. Pakistan, however, insists that it only offers the Islamabad funded militants diplomatic support and denied supporting the attacks. The UN Security Council [official website] immediately condemned the bombings [press release], calling them "reprehensible," and called on all countries to cooperate with India in the investigation. In a Wednesday statement [transcript], Council President Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said the Council "reaffirms the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts," and added that member states have an obligation under "international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law" to combat terrorism. AP has more.