The new constitution provides for freedom of speech, press, assembly and association [JURIST report] in Articles 42 through 45, which some see as a step in the right direction. The referendum is an attempt to calm 11 months of protests and general opposition to the Assad regime. Activists estimate that more than 7,500 people have died since Assad began cracking down on protesters. The UN General Assembly voted earlier this month to condemn Syria through a non-binding resolution [JURIST report]. The resolution supported a plan advanced by the Arab League that aims to bring the situation in the country to a close as quickly as possible by encouraging Assad to step down.

Sri Lanka has conducted some independent investigations into allegations of war crimes occurring during the civil war. In December, Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission released a report concluding that Sri Lanka's military did not intentionally attack civilians [JURIST report] following the country's civil war. In November, Sri Lankan Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated that the government had begun counting the number of civilian deaths from its 26-year civil war with the LTTE. Also in November, a Sri Lankan army chief was sentenced to three additional years of imprisonment [JURIST report], for implicating another Sri Lankan official in war crimes.

The Cambodian judiciary is not de facto independent from the government. Cambodia has been criticised by the United Nations (UN) for failing to "develop neutral State institutions, checks on executive power, and the means to enforce rights guaranteed in the law and the Constitution". This has resulted in a judiciary that continues to be 'subjected to executive interference and open to corruption'.

Last week, the Open Society Justice Initiative [advocacy website] reported that the continuing dispute between Cambodia and the UN over the appointment of Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet to the ECCC threatens the legitimacy of the court [JURIST report]. Last month, the UN [official website] refused to replace [JURIST report] Kasper-Ansermet, the judge tasked with investigating two possible suspects believed to be involved in the deaths of around 1.7 million people, after Cambodia attempted to block him. In October, accused Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen [BBC profile] for interfering with the UN-backed war crimes tribunal. In October 2010, Hun Sen informed the UN that Cambodia will not allow further prosecutions of low-ranking Khmer Rouge officers [JURIST report].

Bashir's trial began in February 2011 [JURIST report] in the District Court of South Jakarta. He was convicted of inciting terrorism in connection with the terrorist training camp in May after having pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] the month before. He was suspected of links to al Qaeda [CFR backgrounder; JURIST news archive] and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) [CFR backgrounder], a terrorist group with links to al Qaeda that has been implicated in a number of attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing [JURIST news archive] that left more than 200 people dead. In 2006, the Indonesian Supreme Court overturned [JURIST report] Bashir's conviction on conspiracy charges connecting him with the bombings. He was released from prison [JURIST report] earlier in 2006 after spending 26 months in jail on different charges related to the bombings.

Last month, Barbier issued an order [JURIST report] that BP will be held liable for a portion of the damages owed by Transocean stemming from the oil spill. BP will be required to indemnify Transocean against damages created by the pollution itself that are awarded throughout the litigation [materials] pending against it. BP will not be required to pay an punitive damages or civil fines as a result of these suits. The court did not rule as to whether BP or Transocean would be held strictly liable, negligent or grossly negligent for the equipment failure and subsequent oil spill that created the pollution. Transocean is the company that owned the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that was contracted by BP, which subsequently caused the oil spill. This ruling is separate from a ruling issued [JURIST report] by Barbier in August, which permits punitive damages against BP, but that ruling pertained to claims brought against BP directly.

Garzon was also charged in two other recent corruption cases. Earlier this month, the Spanish Supreme Court convicted Garzon of ordering illegal wiretaps in jailhouses, after a trial lasting less than one month [JURIST reports]. The court had announced in October that Garzon would stand trial on the charges after the he was indicted in April [JURIST reports] for ordering the placement of wiretaps in jailhouses to record conversations between inmates and their lawyers. Garzon gave the order as part of an investigation into a network of businesses that allegedly gave money and gifts to members of Spain's Popular Party in exchange for government contracts. The court suspended him from practicing law for 11 years. Two weeks ago, the court dismissed [AFP report] the other case against Garzon, involving bribery charges over money he received for seminars conducted in the US. Garzon is widely known for using universal jurisdiction [AI backgrounder; JURIST news archive] extensively in the past to bring several high-profile rights cases, including those against Osama bin Laden and former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

In October 2010, the Dubai Court of First Instance [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that Ibori could be extradited to the UK to face charges of money laundering, fraud and embezzlement. Ibori was arrested in the United Arab Emirates by INTERPOL [official website] in May 2010. Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) [official website] accused Ibori of stealing Delta state funds worth $292 million during his time in office. These funds were allegedly filtered through banks in the UK, which led the UK Metropolitan Police [official website] to issue a warrant for his arrest. Ibori appealed the decision to Dubai's Civil Court of Appeal.