[JURIST] The husband of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto [BBC obituary; JURIST news archive] called Sunday for an international investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bhutto's assassination [JURIST report] last week. Asif Ali Zardari urged the United Nations to conduct an inquiry similar to the ongoing UN investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST news archive]. Zardari's comments came the same day he and his 19-year-old son Bilawal Zardari were named by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) [party website] to succeed Bhutto as co-chairs of the opposition party.

Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack Thursday at a political rally in Rawalpindi. She was campaigning in the lead-up to January 8 parliamentary elections, where her party is challenging Pakistani Prime Minister Pervez Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) [party website]. The Pakistani government, which has said that al Qaeda was behind the assassination, has so far said that outside assistance into its investigation of the killing is not necessary. AP has more. AFP has additional coverage.

[JURIST] The Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry [official website] confirmed Saturday that 10 Saudi detainees released [press release] from Guantanamo Bay have returned home. With the latest release, roughly 275 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST report], approximately 60 of whom have been cleared for release. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz said Saturday that his government is working with the US to bring home other Saudis in US custody.

The release follows a similar transfer of 14 Saudis [JURIST report] in November, and now brings the total number of Saudi detainees at Guantanamo down to about 13. In August, US President George W. Bush expressed hope that the Guantanamo detention facility would eventually be shut down [JURIST report], but said that other countries have shown reluctance to accept detainees. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website] has overturned a $156 million verdict [JURIST report] awarded in 2004 by a federal jury to the family of a 17-year-old killed in the West Bank against several US-based charities accused of supporting terrorism. In its opinion [PDF text] Friday, the appeals court ruled that the Boim family failed to prove a causal connection between militant group Hamas [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] and the activities of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the American Muslim Society, and alleged Hamas fundraiser Muhammad Salah. The family's lawsuit was brought under 18 USC 2333 [text], which allows US nationals injured by acts of international terrorism to seek civil remedies in federal court. The appeals court wrote that the verdict should be overturned because the "plaintiffs must be able to produce some evidence permitting a jury to find that the activities of HLF, Salah, and AMS contributed to the fatal attack on David Boim and were therefore a cause in fact of his death."

The case has been remanded to district court. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Saturday that human rights activist Hu Jia has been detained on charges of inciting subversion of state power [press release]. According to the advocacy group, Hu was arrested on Thursday in connection to "his peaceful activities in promoting human rights, including reporting abuses and posting articles to raise public awareness" and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, remains under house arrest. Earlier this year, Hu made public [JURIST report] letters and recordings from Chinese lawyer Gao Zhisheng alleging that Gao was tortured into confessing to subversion charges. Reporters Without Borders has called for Hu's release [press release], saying that "the political police have taken advantage of the international community's focus on Pakistan to arrest one of the foremost representatives of the peaceful struggle for free expression in China."

Last month, rights group Dui Hua reported that the number of political arrests in China more than doubled in 2006 [JURIST report]. China has been criticized in recent months for cracking down on human rights activists and political dissidents [JURIST report] ahead of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. AFP has more.