In August, Hezbollah officials submitted evidence [JURIST report] to the STL linking Israel to the the assassination of Rafik Hariri. The submission was in response to a request by the tribunal [JURIST report] for Nasrallah to turn over all information he possesses to the STL. The statement was issued by the tribunal after Nasrallah claimed to have proof that Israel was behind the assassination. Nasrallah said he would present concrete evidence proving that Israeli agents had sought to exploit divisions between Hariri's March 14 Alliance and the opposition March 8 Alliance, of which Hezbollah is a member. The STL was established [JURIST report] in 2005 at the request of the Lebanese government to try those alleged to be connected to the bombing in which Hariri was killed by explosions detonated near his motorcade in Beirut in February 2005.

Therefore, the applicants have not established the seriousness of the alleged harm, as affects each of them individually, and this assumes that their expectations relative to the impractical character of the rules of execution are founded. Consequently, the condition related to the urgency cannot be considered as fulfilled as it concerns them.

Representatives of Canada's Inuit population sued the EU [JURIST report] in January, arguing that the hunting represented a traditional aspect of the Inuit's lifestyle. The Canadian government took action against the ban [press release] in November, initiating the World Trade Organization [official website] dispute resolution process by requesting consultations. The ban was implemented in September 2009 following extensive public pressure to end seal hunting by groups citing humanitarian considerations. More narrow European restrictions imposed in 1983 caused the industry to suffer a sharp decline. Commercial seal hunting is an economic and cultural staple for the Inuit, who contend that their methods are necessary and humane.

Torture is illegal and abhorrent under any circumstances, and we have nothing whatsoever to do with it. If we know or believe action by us will lead to torture taking place, we're required by UK and international law to avoid that action. And we do, even though that allows the terrorist activity to go ahead.

This is not the first time the SIS has been forced to address the issues surrounding secrecy and torture. These issues were underscored in May when the England and Wales Court of Appeal [official website] handed down a judgment [text; JURIST report] overturning a ruling of a UK high court, which held that defendants, members of MI5 [official website] and MI6, could utilize a "closed material procedure" that would allow them to rely on certain evidence without disclosing it to opposing counsel or committing it to the public record. In February, an appeals court ruled [JURIST report] that the government must disclose several paragraphs [text] detailing the allegations of mistreatment of terrorist suspect Binyam Mohamed [JURIST news archive] that were previously omitted from an earlier ruling in his criminal trial. Mohamed was returned to the UK in 2009, four months after charges against him were dismissed [JURIST reports].

US courts have also conducted numerous trials for those accused of plotting against the military. In February, a US federal court convicted [JURIST report] Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui [JURIST news archive] on charges that she tried to kill US personnel on a base in Afghanistan where she was being held. Last year, a federal court sentenced five men [JURIST report] to life in prison for their roles on an attempted attack on Fort Dix [official website] in New Jersey. Also lyear, Iraqi insurgent Wesam al Delama, the first insurgent tried in US federal court, was sentenced to 25 years in prison [JURIST report] for planning attacks on US troops in Iraq.

The Bahraini government has faced repeated criticism over its human rights record in recent years. In February, Human Rights Watch claimed the government had reverted to using torture [JURIST report] to gain confessions from detainees after a decade of reform banning such practices. The US State Department deplored impunity for human rights violations and crimes in Bahrain in its 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices [JURIST report]. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies [advocacy website] has voiced similar concerns.

Last month, the ECCC indicted [JURIST report] four former Khmer Rouge leaders. The indicted leaders, Ieng Sary [JURIST news archive], Ieng Thirith [case materials], Khieu Samphan [JURIST news archive] and Nuon Chea [JURIST report], have been detained since 2007 and are charged with crimes against humanity, genocide, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and offenses under the Cambodian Criminal Code 1956. In April, the ECCC dismissed appeals [JURIST report] by Ieng Thirith, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samp to block the extension of their provisional detention. The ECCC handed down its first conviction [JURIST report] of a former Khmer Rouge official in July. Kaing Guek Eav [case materials; JURIST news archive], also known as "Duch," was found guilty of crimes against humanity and of violating the 1949 Geneva Conventions. In August, lawyers for Duch filed a notice of appeal [JURIST report] of his conviction. Last month, the prosecution filed its own notice of appeal [JURIST report] seeking to increase Kaing's term of imprisonment. The prosecution identified three grounds for appeal, including a discernible error in the exercise of sentencing discretion, an error of law regarding cumulative convictions and an error of law regarding enslavement.

I would therefore urge the military commission members to consider international practice - practice supported by the US Government - that Omar Khadr not be subject to further incarceration but that arrangements be made for him to enter a controlled rehabilitation program in Canada. The terms of such a program can be worked out in consultation with child protection partners, psychologists and specialists in juvenile reintegration that can be agreed by the prosecution and the defense.

Khadr was originally detained for killing a US soldier in Afghanistan with a hand grenade in 2002 when he was 15. Earlier this week, Khadr pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to all five charges against him, including conspiracy, murder and aiding the enemy. In addition, Khadr signed a stipulation of fact [text, PDF] confirming that he was a member of al Qaeda, that he threw the grenade and that he felt "happy" when he learned an American soldier had been killed. Khadr sentencing trial began this week, and he could serve up to eight more years in prison with at least one of those years occurring at Guantanamo Bay. The agreement also included a condition that the US support Khadr's eventual application for transfer to Canada. Khadr becomes the first juvenile convicted by a war crimes tribunal since WWII. The guilty plea marks a reversal from Khadr's original stance that he would not accept a plea deal [JURIST report].

Google's announcement had the opposite effect in the UK, where a statement that the company had collected entire e-mails, URLs and passwords caused the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) [official website] to re-open its investigation [JURIST report]. The company could potentially face a fine of up to 500,000 pounds (USD $793,950). Other countries, including Canada, Australia and Spain [JURIST reports] have also launched their own investigations into the privacy breach. Earlier this month, Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart announced that Google was in violation [JURIST report] of the country's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act [text, PDF] (PIPEDA). In July, the Australian Privacy Commissioner announced [JURIST report] that its investigation revealed Google's actions violated the Australia Privacy Act [government backgrounder]. In response to these findings, Google issued an apology on its official Australian blog [text], and agreed to conduct a privacy impact assessment on any new Street View data collection activities in Australia and regularly consult with the privacy commissioner about personal data collection activities arising from significant product launches. In August, the South Korean National Police Agency (SKNPA) [official website, in Korean] raided the Google South Korean headquarters [JURIST report] in connection with accusations that the company had been illegally acquiring user data.

In June, a federal judge denied a request [JURIST report] to delay the Blagojevich trial in order for his defense lawyers to review a decision by the US Supreme Court [official website] limiting the scope of the federal honest services fraud statute [18 USC § 1346 text]. Zagel held that the trial delay was unnecessary because the Supreme Court's decision in Skilling v. United States [Cornell LII backgrounder; JURIST report] was unlikely to affect Blagojevich's case. In April, the prosecution was ordered [JURIST report] to release a 91-page government proffer outlining evidence in its case against Blagojevich. In March, Blagojevich pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to eight amended corruption charges. In January 2009, the Illinois State Senate voted unanimously [JURIST report] to convict Blagojevich of abuse of power and remove him from office. Blagojevich and his former chief of staff were arrested [JURIST report] in December 2008. Blagojevich's list of charges include attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by US President Barack Obama [official web site], making appointments based on anticipated campaign contributions and taking kickbacks from a number of companies.