Earlier in December, the prison sentence for outspoken Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab was reduced by one year [JURIST report]. Last November, Amnesty International (AI) released a brief [JURIST report] detailing how Bahrain had failed to meet its obligations and promises to ensure respect for human rights and prevent further torture within the country. Last October, the Bahrain appeals court upheld verdicts against two teachers [JURIST report] for organizing a teacher's strike to support anti-government protests. Last September, the daughter of a Bahraini human rights activist was sentenced to two months in prison [JURIST report] for tearing up pictures of the country's king.

RAPSI, a legal information agency which operates in coordination with Russian courts, reports the Yakovlev initiative was adopted in retaliation [RAPSI report] for the US adoption of the Magnitsky Act [text], which imposes US travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia. The bill was named for Sergei Magnitsky [BBC report], a Russian whistle-blower who was arrested on charges of tax fraud and later died in prison [JURIST report]. The legislation comes just months after Russia and the US entered into an agreement [JURIST report] tightening restrictions on international adoptions.

The final draft of the constitution is backed by the Islamists and has been extremely controversial. Earlier in December, the UN Working Group on discrimination against women [official website] expressed grave concern [JURIST report] over the draft constitution. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] has also expressed concern at the rising death toll during the ongoing political chaos in Egypt, saying that Egypt's draft constitution presents serious problems for human rights [JURIST report]. Pillay complained [UN News Centre report] that the draft constitution was passed without the participation of Christian or liberal legislators. Pillay also said that she was concerned about the draft constitution's omission of references to international human rights treaties that Egypt ratified in the past. While Pillay commended the fact that the draft constitution imposes term limits on President Mohammed Morsi and provides some protections for freedom of expression and religion, she noted that these protections were not strong enough.

Numerous states have changed their abortion laws to restrict the availability of abortion recently, usually leading to legal challenges. Last month, Montana voters passed a referendum [JURIST report] requiring facilities and doctors to inform parents of minors 16 to 48 hours before a planned abortion procedure. Also last month, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] heard oral arguments [JURIST report] on a challenge to Arizona's law which, like Georgia's law, bans abortions after 20 weeks. Planned Parenthood [advocacy website] also sued Texas [JURIST report] in October claiming that its law preventing state funding from going to any clinics affiliated with providing abortions violates another state law.