Innocence of Muslims has generated a great deal of political, religious and legal controversy. Last month an Egyptian court upheld [JURIST report] the death sentences of seven Coptic Christians and an American preacher on charges stemming from the film. In September an actress who claims she was duped into appearing in the film filed suit [JURIST report] in the US District Court for the Northern District of California [official website] requesting the film be removed from YouTube. Earlier that same month the UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai [official website] condemned the violence [JURIST report] that erupted after the film's release. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] urged religious and political leaders [JURIST report] to encourage an end to the violence that followed the release of the film.

Chavez continue to draw international criticism. Last month Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] called on Venezuela to end censorship and intimidation [JURIST report] of media that challenge official reports regarding Chavez. In July Chavez announced [JURIST report] that Venezuela would withdraw from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) [official website, in Spanish]. In a statement during a military ceremony, Chavez announced the withdrawal and criticized the regional court, saying it is not fit to be called a human rights court. The decision came just after the IACHR concluded that the prison conditions of a man convicted in multiple bombings were a violation of his human rights. In 2011 Chavez criticized [JURIST report] the IACHR for ruling in favor of presidential hopeful Leopoldo Lopez, allowing him to run for office despite a separate court ruling barring him from the election.

Indonesia has previously faced international criticism for undermining human rights. In November the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Indonesia [JURIST report] to end discrimination. In July an Indonesian cleric was imprisoned for violating [JURIST report] the nation's blasphemy law. The international community criticized [JURIST report] Indonesia last March for the arrest of peaceful demonstrators. In January 2011 three soldiers were sentenced [JURIST report] for their role in making a video showing the torture of detainees. In December 2010 rights groups advocated [JURIST report] for the repeal of two Sharia laws which imposed strict Islamic dress in public and prohibited unmarried men and women from being alone together.

After the US invasion of Iraq and the execution of Saddam Hussein [JURIST report] in 2006, the Iraqi government has been prosecuting and sentencing former officials who were closely associated with the former dictator's party. In July former Interior Minister Mahmoud Thiab al-Ahmed was released from prison [JURIST report] after serving an eight-year sentence for his part in draining the marshes in Southern Iraq. A month earlier, Abid Hamid Mahmud, a former bodyguard and secretary of Hussein, was executed after he was sentenced to death [JURIST reports] by hanging in 2010 alongside former Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] and one other official. They were convicted of genocide in connection with his service under Hussein. The death sentences have led to controversy. Aziz, who was sentenced to death in 2010, sought a pardon of his sentence [JURIST report] after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] said in an interview that he would not sign the execution order [JURIST report] for Aziz.

Thursday's settlement is the latest development in a series of legal battles over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill since January 2012 when a federal judge ordered [JURIST report] British Petroleum (BP) [corporate website] to share partial liability with Transocean in oil spill claims. Last December a federal judge approved [JURIST report] a final class settlement between BP and those who experienced economic and property loss stemming from the spill. Last November BP executives pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to criminal charges stemming from the oil spill. Earlier that month BP agreed to pay [JURIST report] $4.5 billion in penalties for felony misconduct for its role in the spill.

Last April, the US House of Representative approved CISPA [JURIST report] in a vote of 248-168. This occurred despite the high probability of a veto [BBC report] from Obama, who has asserted [press release, PDF] that the law "fails to provide authorities" to protect American's infrastructure "without instituting corresponding privacy, confidentiality, and civil liberties safeguards." Similarly, in March, Obama administration official Melanie Ann Pustay [official profile] testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] to urge congressional officials [JURIST report] to amend the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) [text] to strengthen government's ability to prevent disclosure of information related to critical infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Earlier this month Kenyatta and his co-defendant, former civil service chief Francis Muthaura [case material], asked [JURIST report] the ICC to review the decision to move forward with the trial. The two Kenyans had announced [JURIST report] in December that, despite their upcoming trials, they will be running together in the next presidential election, scheduled to take place next month. In October the ICC called for complete cooperation [JURIST report] from the Kenyan government in the investigation and trial process. In June the ICC expressed its desire to start the two Kenyan trials simultaneously [JURIST report] to avoid any appearance of bias in the March 2013 presidential election.

Last month, a Rwandan genocide suspect was arrested [JURIST report] in France. Also in January the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) [official website] convicted [JURIST report] former Rwandan minister Augustin Ngirabatware [case materials], sentencing him to 35 years in prison and concluding the tribunal's final trial. Ngirabatware was found guilty on charges of genocide, incitement to commit genocide and rape as a crime against humanity. In December the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution [JURIST report] to extend the term of office of five judges of the ICTR.

Many former officials have stood trial since the end of Mubarak's 30-year regime. In January an Egyptian appeals judge overturned Mubarak's conviction [JURIST report] and life sentence and ordered a retrial for the former president on the charge of failure to prevent the killing of more than 800 protestors in 2012. Also in January former culture minister Farouq Hosni, was acquitted of charges [JURIST report] of corruption and illegal enrichment. Last August the former secretary for the Mubarak's political party, Safwat El-Sherif, was referred to a criminal court [JURIST report] for abusing his office by obtaining real estates at discounted prices and illegally obtaining $49.2 million. In July an Egyptian court rejected pleas to release [JURIST report] Mubarak's two sons while they await trial, although their lawyer argued they were detained unlawfully for longer than permissible under Egyptian law. Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, along with seven others, were charged [JURIST report] with stock market fraud, using unfair trading practices and illegally manipulating the market.