Hutchins has publicly declared that his challenge to Georgia's "No Duty to Retreat" law stems directly from the criticism of Florida's similar "Stand Your Ground" law [text]. The latter remains engulfed in controversy since its invocation by George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin [ABC News backgrounder; Sanford Police report, PDF] in February. While the rationale of such laws is to dispense persons under attack of any legal obligation to retreat, at least one critic has argued [JURIST op-ed] that the law, particularly in the Trayvon Martin case, is not being applied with this rationale in mind. Georgia enacted its "No Duty to Retreat" law in 2006 while Florida enacted [JURIST reports] its "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005. Similar so-called "shoot first" laws currently exist in 19 other states.

The debate surrounding the composition of constitutional panel follows an Egyptian court ruling in February that the elaborate voting system in the parliamentary elections was unconstitutional [JURIST report]. The make-up of the constitutional panel could determine whether there will be an expansion of rights in the country. In January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called on Egypt's newly elected parliament to pursue an agenda to reform nine areas of Egyptian law [JURIST report] that impede freedom and restrict rights. Some of the suggested reforms included ending the state of emergency, reforming police law and expanding freedom of expression, strengthening the criminal penalties for police abuse, amending Egypt's definition of torture to be in line with international standards and allowing independent NGOs to operate lawfully in the country.

Last month UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon [official profile] urged [JURIST report] Malaysia to take into consideration international human rights standards. In October after the prime minister's announcement, the Malaysian government released 125 prisoners [JURIST report] who were held in detention under the Restricted Residence Act of 1933. Malaysia's internal security laws were heavily criticized in the past by various human rights organizations. In June, 2010, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] recommended Malaysia repeal or amend its security laws to conform to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [text]. In 2009, the Abolish ISA Movement [advocacy blog] initiated a demonstration against the law in which 10,000 to 20,000 people participated and resulted in 589 arrests. 29 of them were charged [JURIST report] for their involvement in the rallies. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) [advocacy website] had also called [JURIST report] Malaysia to abolish the ISA in 2008.

The violent clashes that rocked Thailand two years ago continue to affect the lives of many Thais. Those harmed in the upheavals and their families are still waiting for justice because successive governments haven't kept their promises to hold the abusers accountable. ...The reconciliation proposal is about enabling powerful people on all sides to get away with grievous crimes. Everyone wins, except the victims. ...To end Thailand's cycle of impunity, the [Thai] government should act now to bring charges against perpetrators of crimes committed during the 2010 violence, whatever their political affiliation or official position. No amnesty should be given for serious human rights abuses.

Last year, HRW urged the Thai government to investigate crimes [JURIST report] allegedly committed by government officials during violent protests in spring 2010. HRW's report detailed the violence [press release] that resulted from the "red shirt" [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] pro-democracy movement and specifically from clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters acting under the direction of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) [party website]. According to investigations by HRW, the high death toll and injuries were the consequences of excessive and unnecessary lethal force by the government as well as deliberate attacks, aimed at inciting more violence, by armed forces of the UDD. Earlier in 2011, the "red shirt" movement petitioned [JURIST report] the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] to launch a preliminary investigation into whether the government committed crimes against humanity during the Bangkok protests.

Our letter to Misrata authorities is a wake-up call. Five months after the conflict with Gaddafi forces ended, militias from Misrata are still committing serious abuses—crimes under Libyan and international law—and the city's leaders can be held legally responsible for those acts by the [International Criminal Court].

Allegations of war crimes and human rights violations have been widespread during the Libya conflict [JURIST backgrounder]. In February Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] released a report accused the ruling NTC of allowing the abuse and torture [JURIST report] of supporters of the former leader by unofficial militias. In January the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official website] addressed [JURIST report] the UN Security Council [official website] expressing concern over alleged human rights violations in Libya. Earlier that month Middle East rights groups alleged human rights violations [JURIST report] and that all parties involved, including NATO, committed acts ranging from use of excessive force against protesters to cruel and inhuman treatment of prisoners during detention. In October of last year AI alleged that Libyan forces arrested nearly 2,500 people who face ongoing torture and detainment [JURIST report] without formal charges. In September the NTC vowed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses after AI published a report [JURIST report] alleging that both sides of the Libya conflict are responsible for human rights abuses and warning the NTC to act quickly to investigate these allegations.

Ni Yulan is one of several high-profile dissidents to be sentenced as part of a larger crackdown in China. In January, prominent rights activist Li Tie was sentenced to 10 years in prison [JURIST report] on subversion charges brought in response to pro-democracy articles he wrote in 2010. In December, a Chinese court sentenced political activist Chen Xi [JURIST report] to 10 years in prison for inciting subversion. The charges against Chen, 57, stemmed from more than 30 political essays that he had published online. Also in December, a Chinese court sentenced human rights advocate Chen Wei [JURIST report], who is unrelated to Chen Xi, to nine years in prison. Chen Wei, 42, was sentenced after a two-hour hearing in which he pleaded not guilty to inciting subversion of state power. He was charged for having written essays critical of the Communist Party, which he published on overseas Chinese websites, avoiding the national Internet censorship firewalls. Chen was one of more than 130 activists detained after the US-based news site Boxun [website, in Chinese] reported an anonymous appeal for people to stage protests across China last year.

This week's decision marks a change from the ECHR's position two years ago, when the court stayed the extradition [JURIST report] of four of the terrorism suspects, holding that potential punishment could violate European Convention on Human Rights provisions on the prohibition of torture and inhumane or degrading treatment. The UK High Court approved the extradition [JURIST report] of Aswat and Ahmad to the US in 2006. Aswat is wanted in the US on suspicion of setting up a terrorist training camp and Ahmad is wanted for conspiring to kill Americans and running a website used to fund terrorists and recruit al Qaeda members. The extraditions were approved only after the US offered assurances that it would not seek the death penalty, try the suspects before military tribunals or declare them enemy combatants. A British court approved the extradition [JURIST report] of Hamza in 2007. Hamza, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence in the UK [JURIST report] for urging his followers to kill Jews and other non-Muslims, faces US charges of attempting to establish terrorist training camps in Oregon, conspiring to take hostages in Yemen, and helping terror training in Afghanistan.