Embezzlement is a major legal issue around the globe. Three weeks ago, Italy's high court cleared [JURIST report] former prime minister Silvio Burlesconi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] of embezzlement and fraud charges related to his commercial broadcast company, Mediaset. In November, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom [official website] declared [JURIST report] that he will allow former president Alfonso Portillo [CIDOB profile, in Spanipersh] to be extradited to the US for charges including embezzlement and money laundering. Earlier in November, the State Tax Service of the Ukraine [official website] announced formal charges [JURIST report] against former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko [personal website; JURIST news archive] for embezzlement and tax evasion.

States other than Idaho have received some attention regarding their death penalty procedures. In February, the US Supreme Court denied [JURIST report] Ohio's request to proceed its execution of Charles Lorraine, a 45-year-old man who was convicted in 1986 of killing an elderly couple. There was a growing concerns that the state deviates too often from its lethal injection rules for which the execution was delayed by federal courts. In November of last year, the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Maureen O'Connor opened the first meeting of the state's death panel review committee which was formed [JURIST reports] in September to provide "guidance on the current laws on the subject, the practices in other jurisdictions, the data, the costs, and many other aspects associated with the death penalty."

Apple and Motorola have been locked in many legal battles in recent years. In February, Apple sued Motorola [JURIST report] in federal court in California seeking an injunction to stop Motorola from bringing patent claims against Apple in Germany. In October 2010, Apple sued Motorola in federal court in Wisconsin, claiming [JURIST report] that several of Motorola's products infringed on six patents owned by Apple.

On Tuesday, judges from the ICTY began a five-day visit [JURIST report] to locations relevant to the indictment of Karadzic. In May, Brammertz announced that Mladic is mentally and physically fit to stand trial. The ICTY had ordered a medical exam [JURIST report] of him in November of last year upon his lawyers' protest that their client is not fit to stand trial. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges two months after the ICTY delayed [JURIST reports] his trial based on the defense lawyers' request to do so in order to sift through the extensive amount of files. A day after, the trial chamber of the ICTY ordered [JURIST report] a six-week suspension of the trial in the case against Karadzic to allow the defense lawyers to review 32,000 pages and 200 hours of video material that the prosecution sent to them in January.

This order derives from the legal action commenced [JURIST report] in March by various human rights groups urging South African courts to prosecute those responsible for crimes against humanity. Zimbabwe has been criticized in the past for such violations including torture and forced labor of civilian workers in illegal mining camps [JURIST report].

The legality of drone strikes has been a controversial issue in recent months. In October, JURIST contributing editor Jeffrey Addicott asserted [JURIST op-ed] that the CIA drone strike in September [JURIST report] that killed senior al Qaeda leader and US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] was legal under the law of war. Prior to the drone strike that killed al-Awlaki, the Obama administration issued a memorandum [JURIST report] justifying the legality of such an action. In August, JURIST guest columnist Laurie Blank argued [JURIST op-ed] that the US government's claim that drone strikes in Pakistan have caused zero civilian casualties belied serious concerns about American interpretation and adherence to the laws of war.

The Supreme Court of Canada allowed [JURIST report] lawsuits under the CRA to move forward in July 2011 when it ruled [materials] that individual provinces are able to sue tobacco companies. In 2001 British Columbia attempted to recover from 14 tobacco companies funds that the government had spent paying for medical care of those afflicted with tobacco-related illnesses. They based their claim on the CRA. In that case, the appealing tobacco industries alleged that Canada is also a manufacturer and supplier of cigarettes and that this preempts their liability. The court refuted this understanding finding that Canada is not a manufacturer under the Act. The Court allowed British Columbia's claim against several tobacco companies to proceed, but did not rule on the merits of the claim. This decision opened the door for suits from all the provinces worth potentially billions of dollars of damages against the tobacco industry.

Conditions in Haiti have been a topic of international concern since the devastating 2010 earthquake. In February, the US Department of State (DOS) [official website] sent a team [JURIST report] of international law experts to Haiti to assess how to reinforce the Haitian judiciary's power and independence. One of the main goals of the team was to investigate the ruling [JURIST report] of Haiti's Investigative Magistrate Carves Jean who held that former president Jean-Claude Duvalier [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] will not stand trial for crimes against humanity, including torture, false imprisonment, rape and murder during his reign between 1971 and 1986. This goal was echoed by Frost who praised the significant progress of Haiti's rule of law but expressed his disappointment [JURIST report] of Haiti's ruling for Duvalier.

The US military court referred Manning's case for court-martial [JURIST report] in February. Last month UN Special Rapporteur on torture the Juan Mendez accused the US government of cruel and inhuman treatment [JURIST report] against Manning. A US Army panel of experts declared Manning competent to stand trial [JURIST report] last April. Manning's prosecution has sparked heated debate between defenders and critics. Those who support Manning's actions refer to him as courageous for acting as a whistleblower [advocacy petition] against government crime and corruption. He has been compared to famous US whistleblowers such as Frank Serpico and Daniel Ellsberg [personal websites], who leaked information regarding corruption in the New York Police Department and the Pentagon, respectively.

Gbagbo's hearing date was set [JURIST report] in December during his pre-trial hearing [ICC press release] in the Pre-Trial Chamber III of the ICC. During the hearing the court verified Gbagbo's identity and ensured that he was informed of the four charges against him, including murder, persecution, inhumane acts, and rape and other forms of sexual violence allegedly committed during last year's post-election violence [JURIST news archive] in the Ivory Coast. A month earlier, he was taken into custody [JURIST report] by the ICC after national authorities of the Ivory Coast surrendered him to the international court.

These individuals are protesting against their detention without charges and are suffering immensely for it. There is no acceptable basis for continuing to hold these persons, and Israel will be responsible if any permanent harm results. ... If Israeli officials cannot present evidence to support charges against these men, then they must be released immediately. Israel must end the appalling and unjust treatment of Palestinian prisoners and the international community needs to raise its voice and take steps to end Israel's flagrant misuse of administrative detention.

Israel has been continuously criticized for its treatment of Palestinian detainees. Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday urged Israel to release all prisoners [JURIST report] of conscience and administrative detainees or immediately try them under international fair trial standards. Last month UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to try or release more than 1,000 prisoners [JURIST report] who had been on hunger strike to avoid health risks. Earlier the same month, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled against [JURIST report] two detainees who had been on hunger strike in their appeal seeking release from detention. During the same month, Falk expressed his concern [JURIST report] for the continued human rights violations in Israel's prisons. He called on the country to comply with the international standards of how to treat detainees.

The committee also urged the country to grant Khadr's request for a transfer from Guantanamo to Canada for the remainder of his sentence to avoid any future mistreatment. The Canadian Supreme Court [official website] had ruled in 2010 that treatment of Khadr violated his rights. Khadr had applied [JURIST report] for a transfer in April but the Canadian government has not yet responded to his request. The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon [official profile] announced [JURIST report] in 2010 that it would not seek repatriation of Khadr.

Malawi has been at the center of controversy recently regarding al-Bashir. In December, the ICC referred Malawi [JURIST report] to the UN Security Council [official website] for failing to arrest al-Bashir when he visited Malawi in October. Shortly following al-Bashir's October visit, the ICC requested [JURIST report] that Malawi's government explain its decision not to arrest him. Earlier in October, immediately before al-Bashir's visit to Malawi, Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] urged [JURIST report] Malawi's government to arrest al-Bashir when he entered the country.

Same-sex marriage continues to be a controversial issue in the US. An advocacy group in Washington presented more than 200,000 referendum signatures on Wednesday seeking to overturn [JURIST report] recently signed same-sex marriage legislation. In May 25 gay and lesbian couples filed two lawsuits against Illinois Governor Pat Quinn challenging the constitutionality of the state's same-sex marriage ban. In March, Maryland legalized same-sex marriage, joining Washington, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia [JURIST reports]. On the other hand, North Carolina voters in May approved [JURIST report] a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

The controversial bill received preliminary approval [JURIST report] from the State Duma in May by a vote of 236-207 on the first reading. Putin has supported the new bill throughout the legislative process. Russia has been criticized for violating citizens' right to free expression. Earlier this month prominent Russian gay rights activist Nikolai Alekeyev, who was arrested in April, became the first to be convicted under a St. Petersburg city ordinance [JURIST report] that prohibits the spreading "homosexual propaganda" to minors.

Various countries have alleged that Google violated privacy laws by capturing personal data through its Street View service. In March of last year, a Berlin high court ruled [JURIST report] for Google holding that the company's controversial service is legal in Germany. In 2010, a woman sued the company for violating her property and privacy rights by taking pictures of her, her family and the front of her house. The court however held that because the picture was taken from the street, no such violation has occurred. On the other side, the French National Commission of Information Technology and Liberty (CNIL) [official website, in French] fined [JURIST report] Google 100,000 euros (USD $141,300) for violating the country's data privacy laws. Google captured personal data through Google Street View cars used for its Google Maps service but failed to respond to request in a timely manner and to stop using seized data. Similarly in 2010, the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) [official website] held [JURIST report] that Google UK has violated the Data Protection Act [text] by collecting data through its Street View service. The ICO did not impose fines but announced that it will require the company to pay fines if it does not comply with the data protection regulations in the future.

Enkhbayar lost the presidential election [JURIST report] in 2009 when Mongolia Democratic Party [party website, in Mongolian] candidate Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj [Taipei Times profile] defeated him in the country's general election. Educated in the US, Elbegborj ran on a platform of fighting corruption and redistributing profits from the country's mining operations to Mongolian residents. Enkhbayar's Communist Party had originally refuted claims that Elbegdorj had won the election, but later accepted the results [BBC report]. In 2008, Enkhbayar declared a state of emergency [JURIST report] following protests against the results of parliamentary elections in the country. At least five people were killed and more than 700 people were detained as a result of the protests.

Syria has been attacked for its human rights violations especially in the wake of last month's Houla incident that killed more than 100 people, including women and children. Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Council [official website], after its announcement for a special session to discuss the situation in Syria, approved [JURIST reports] in a 41-3 vote a resolution blaming "pro-regime elements" and government troops for the massacre in Houla. On the same day, the Syrian government released [JURIST report] more than 500 prisoners detained during pro-democracy demonstrations. The release of "arbitrarily detained persons" was a key point in the six-point plan which was supposed to begin on April 12 but has not yet been successfully executed despite a resolution approved [JURIST report] by the UN Security Council [official website] to send 300 unarmed soldiers and other civilian aid for 90 days to supervise the implementation of the plan. In May, a three-member Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria released a report claiming that the Syrian security forces are predominantly responsible for the violence in the country.

I am seriously concerned by these disturbing acts of harassment against a prominent woman human rights defender who is being targeted because of her legitimate human rights activities in Malaysia. I urge the authorities to investigate thoroughly these allegations, hold the perpetrators accountable, and effectively protect Ms. Sreenevasan, and more generally, Bersih members.

Malaysia's recent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators has been a subject of controversy. Two weeks ago, Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim [personal profile; JURIST news archive] was charged [JURIST report] with violating the Peaceful Assembly Act [text, PDF] by participating in a large demonstration demanding electoral reforms. In December a UN panel of independent human rights experts warned that the Peaceful Assembly Act would severely curtail [JURIST report] citizens' right to peaceably assemble. In November Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak [official profile] defended the law [JURIST report], saying it would balance citizens' right to protest with public safety concerns. However, it has drawn ire from both Malaysians and the international community. Anwar himself has stated that the bill is more draconian than previous free speech crackdowns in Zimbabwe and Myanmar [JURIST reports].

The trial court in this case held that the Oklahoma Constitution contains a fundamental right never before recognized by any Oklahoma court: the right to an abortion. The trial court did so based on its erroneous belief that the Oklahoma Constitution must be read in lockstep with the federal constitution, and did so despite the overwhelming and undisputed historical evidence establishing that the drafters of Oklahoma's Constitution did not intend it to contain a right to an abortion. Indeed, Oklahoma has always criminalized abortion.

The Oklahoma law restricting the use of abortion-inducing drugs was scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2011, but was temporarily blocked [JURIST report] in October. Oklahoma has passed several restrictive abortion laws in recent years. In April 2011, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin [official profile] signed into law [JURIST report] a bill [HB 1888 materials] prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks. The law allows abortions past the 20-week mark only in certain extenuating circumstances where the mother faces death or serious injury. A doctor who performs an abortion in violation of the time limit would be subject to criminal prosecution for a felony, but the woman undergoing the procedure would not face a penalty. Last year, an Oklahoma state judge extended a temporary injunction [JURIST report] blocking enforcement of a law [HB 2780 text, RTF] that would require women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound and hear a description of the fetus. In May 2010, the Oklahoma Senate [official website] voted to override the veto of a bill [HB 3284 text, RTF] that would require women seeking an abortion to complete a questionnaire, answering questions such as marital status, reasons for seeking the abortion, and whether the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

Munyagishari's case is the fifth to be transferred to Rwandan national courts. In May, the case of Ladislas Ntaganzwa [case materials] was transferred [JURIST report] to the Rwandan national court system. Ntaganzwa, a former mayor of Nyakizu commune in Butare, had been charged with with conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the Geneva Conventions. Jean-Bosco Uwinkindi [case materials], a former Rwandan pastor and a genocide suspect, was the first to be transferred [JURIST report] from the ICTR to the national court. Uwinkindi appealed to the decision to transfer his case but it was rejected [JURIST reports] by the ICTR in December. He has been charged in 2001 with genocide and crimes against humanity. The other two transferred cases are against Fulgence Kayishema [case materials; JURIST report], a former police inspector, and Charles Sikubwabo [case materials], former Bourgmestre of Gishyita, Kibuye Prefecture. Both suspects remain at large.

[P]laintiffs in this case hail from across the nation, and as noted above, they represent the interests of similarly situated individuals not party to this case. Moreover, although the Fourth Circuit also noted that individual circuits should generally refrain from issuing nationwide injunctions to allow other courts to reach separate conclusions about the constitutionality of the same statute, the stakes in this case differ.

Since 2001, anti-terrorism laws and military detentions in the US have been the subject of much controversy and litigation. Last month federal prosecutors asked Forrest to lift the injunction [JURIST report] she placed earlier in May. Forrest agreed with a group of reporters who claimed that the law was vague and violated their First Amendment [text] rights to freedom of speech and Fifth Amendment [text] due process rights.

This is the latest development in the ongoing reproductive rights controversy [JURIST backgrounder]. In May, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill allowing pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs [JURIST report] that they "reasonably believe" might result in the termination of a pregnancy. Earlier that month, a judge for the District Court of Oklahoma County ruled that a law restricting how doctors may use abortion-inducing drugs to treat patients was a violation of the Oklahoma Constitution. In April, the Arizona House of Representatives approved a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks [JURIST report] into a pregnancy, with an exception carved out only for medical emergencies. In March, Utah passed a law requiring a woman seeking an abortion to wait 72 hours [JURIST report] prior to obtaining the procedure.

Uganda has been facing difficulties in ending the violence against civilians committed by the LRA. One of the few success came when the Ugandan military forces, Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), captured [JURIST report] one of the highest leaders of the LRA in May. Major General Caesar Achellam is said to be a top rebel military strategist [BBC News report] and close ally of LRA leader Joseph Kony [BBC profile; JURIST news archive]. The recent campaign by Invisible children [advocacy website] has increased international efforts to capture Kony. In March, The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official profile] expressed his support for the campaign. During the same month, US lawmakers introduced [JURIST report] a legislation that would protect Ugandan citizens from the LRA. It calls for the expansion of the telecommunications infrastructure in Uganda and an increase in the presence of military forces in the region. Last September the Ugandan Constitutional Court [official website] held [JURIST report] that former LRA rebel Thomas Kwoyelo was entitled to amnesty under the country's Amnesty Act of 2000. He had been charged [JURIST report] with 53 counts of willful killing, hostage taking, destruction of property and causing injury that took place during Uganda's civil war [BBC backgrounder].

In March a judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas rejected [JURIST report] Stanford's motion for a new trial. Judge David Hittner did not provide any reason for his ruling. The order came just one day after Stanford's lawyers argued that their client was deprived of his Sixth Amendment rights to a fair trial. Also in March the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled [JURIST report] that the victims of Stanford's $7 million Ponzi scheme would be allowed to pursue a class action. Earlier that month Stanford was convicted of defrauding victims in the US and Latin America. Stanford's trial began in January after a judge ruled in December that he was mentally competent [JURIST report] to stand trial.

Rashid left Palestine in 2004 after Arafat's death. He is believed to own several homes in the gulf region. PA officials have indicated that they are they currently investigating other officials on corruption allegations.

Also Wednesday the European Commission [official website] announced [JURIST report] a proposal that would address the problems of bailing out large banks with public funds during financial crises in the future. The 171-page proposal is a response to the financial crisis of 2008 in which the European public authorities, including Spain, had to bail out large financial institutions, leading the European Commission to approve 4.5 trillion euros (equivalent to 37 percent of EU GDP) to go to those failing companies. Several EU member states face financial instability which may have detrimental effects on other member states. Earlier this month, Ireland voters approved [JURIST report] the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance [text, PDF] aimed at improving fiscal discipline and promoting greater financial information disclosure between EU member states because of its current financial situation. Similarly, Spain's major political parties reached an agreement [JURIST report] in last August to modify the country's constitution that was to regulate the limits of the national deficit in order to avoid risks of debt crisis and a bailout.