The extradition hearing took place earlier this month following Ganic's arrest by British police [JURIST reports] at Heathrow Airport in March pursuant to a Serbian provisional extradition warrant. Ganic is the highest ranking official among 19 for whom Serbia has issued an arrest warrant in connection with the Dobrovoljacka Street incident at the onset of the Bosnian conflict. Bosnian authorities dismiss Serbian claims surrounding the incident on the grounds that they were defending their own territory and that Serbia is undermining procedures in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website; JURIST news archive].

While Mr. KrajiSnik has displayed some evidence of rehabilitation, I am of the view that there remain significant factors that weigh against granting him early release. Mr. Krajisnik's crimes are of a very high gravity, involving a widespread displacement of the non-Serb population in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which caused great suffering. Moreover, in respect of the requirement that the President shall take into account the treatment of similarly-situated prisoners, the practice of the Tribunal is to consider the eligibility of a convicted person only after he has served two-thirds of his sentence; therefore, the fact that Mr. Krajisnik has only recently completed serving half of his sentence does not weigh in favour of his early release.

At his 2006 trial, the ICTY found Krajisnik not guilty on a charge of genocide for which prosecutors had requested a life sentence [JURIST report]. Krajisnik was initially indicted together with Biljana Plavsic [ICTY materials; JURIST news archive], the former Bosnian Serb president who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2003 after testifying against Krajisnik. Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic [ICTY materials; JURIST news archive], with whom Krajisnik worked closely, was arrested in 2008 [JURIST report] and currently faces war crimes charges before the ICTY.

The Parliament considers that peaceful negotiation should result in a permanent, sustainable and mutually acceptable solution for Kosovo-Metohija, in accordance with the Constitution of Serbia, allowing for a historical reconciliation of the Serbian and Albanian people, as well as peace and stability in the region. The document calls for national unity and the use of all available diplomatic and political means to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The Parliament expresses its full commitment to achieving national and political unity regarding the preservation of Kosovo-Metohija, and confirms that the Republic of Serbia will never, either explicitly or implicitly, recognise the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo-Metohija.

The ICJ issued a non-binding ruling Thursday that Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia [JURIST report] did not violate international law. Serbia had argued that UN Resolution 1244 [text, PDF], which ended the war in Kosovo, solidified the country's boundaries, which included the southern region of Kosovo. Kosovo argued that the resolution was not meant to exclude the opportunity for secession. The opinion of the court stated that nothing in international law prohibited a unilateral declaration of independence. The ruling could have far-reaching implications for other countries with territories seeking recognition as independent states. Serbia's position was backed by a majority of UN countries, including Russia, China and Spain, but Kosovo has consistently been supported by the US and most European countries. Serbian President Boris Tadic [official profile] maintained that Serbia will not recognize [statement, in Serbian] Kosovo's independence, claiming the ICJ ruling was limited only to the question of whether the declaration itself violated international law, and not whether the secession was legal.

Last week, a Syracuse University study indicated that backlogs at US immigration courts are up by more than 30 percent [JURIST report] in the past 18 months. As of January 2009, there were an estimated 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the US, one million less than in 2007, according to the Department of Homeland Security [official website]. In that same period, deportations have more than doubled, peaking at 387,790 last year. Federal authorities have indicated that the workload would continue to grow if Arizona's new immigration law [SB 1070 materials; JURIST news archive] is implemented. The Arizona law criminalizes illegal immigration and requires police officers to question an individual's immigration status if the officer has a "reasonable suspicion" to believe an individual is in the country illegally. The constitutionality of the law has been widely disputed, and the legislation is now facing several lawsuits [JURIST report].

In February, an Algerian criminal court acquitted [JURIST report] former Guantanamo detainee Mustafa Hemlili of charges of counterfeiting and affiliation to a militant group that is active abroad. Hemlili was released from Guantanamo, along with fellow inmate Hederbash Sufian, after a six-year detention period. July's transfers brought the total number of Guantanamo detainees transferred to Algeria to over 20. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] announced in January that two detainees had been transferred to Algeria [JURIST report]. Hassan Zumiri had spent more than seven years in the Guantanamo detention center, while Adil Hadi al-Jazairi bin Hamlili [NYT profiles] had been held for five. Both men are Algerian nationals.

We are terribly disappointed about today's ruling. Our plaintiffs and the New Jersey legislature's own Civil Union Review Commission documented the rampant discrimination same-sex couples face as a consequence of civil union status, and this ruling now relegates our plaintiffs to second-class citizenship for even longer. ... Separating out one group and relegating the people in it to a lesser status, in this case to civil unions in New Jersey, invites discrimination from all quarters—the government, businesses, schools, medical providers, individuals.

The New Jersey couples filed the lawsuit seeking to legalize same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive] in the Supreme Court claiming that they "and other committed lesbian gay partners in New Jersey live in second-class circumstances, relegated to demonstrably inferior, state-created status of civil unions." They argued that same-sex couples lack workplace benefits and protections, face unequal treatment and lack of recognition in public accommodations and civic life, and that their children are "prejudiced by the unequal and inferior legal and social status" of civil unions. New Jersey has recognized same-sex civil unions [JURIST report] since 2006. In January, the New Jersey Senate voted 20-14 to defeat a bill [JURIST report] that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in DC, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, Connecticut and Massachusetts [JURIST reports].

Kaing unexpectedly asked to be released [JURIST report] at the close of his trial in November. His request was a complete departure from his previous conduct, as he had cooperated with the trial and repeatedly apologized to his victims and their families. His lawyers took different approaches in their closing remarks, with one stating that his client was not guilty and the other asking for clemency. In March 2009, Kaing accepted responsibility and apologized [JURIST report] for his conduct at the detention facility. He is the first of eight ex-Khmer Rouge officials expected to be tried before the ECCC. In April, the pre-trial chamber of the ECCC dismissed appeals by three other former Khmer Rouge officials [JURIST report] to block the extension of their provisional detention. The three prisoners, Ieng Thirith, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan, were arrested in November 2007 and face charges of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, murder, torture and religious persecution. The tre-trial chamber found in each case that "there is sufficient additional evidence in the case file to demonstrate that the case has progressed expeditiously" and that further detention while the investigation continues is reasonable given the "gravity and nature of the crimes" charged.

Last week, US President Barack Obama [official website] signed [JURIST report] the Restoring Financial Stability Act [HR 4173 materials] into law. The legislation, which focuses on increasing regulation in the financial sector, included a provision requiring US companies producing electronic equipment like cell phones and laptops, to divulge what steps are being taken to ensure their products do not contain "conflict minerals" from the DRC. Last year, GW published a report claiming that international corporations that purchase minerals from the DRC are responsible for prolonging the conflict [JURIST report] in the African country. The report was critical of several specific corporations, including Amalgamated Metal Corporation, Afrimex and Traxys [corporate websites], for "turning a blind-eye" to the source of minerals they purchase and then sell to manufacturers. In the war-torn country, the Congolese military and numerous militia groups control mines responsible for production of gold and wolframite, and the report alleges that the unregulated market brings significant profit to these groups [BBC report], fueling the conflict. The current conflict in the DRC has been one of the most deadly in the world, claiming an estimated 45,000 [Guardian report] lives per month.