Magnitsky's death while in custody has caused a rift in Russia's relationship with the US. In December US lawmakers passed the Magnitsky Act [text] in the lawyer's name, which will allow the US Secretary of the Treasury [official website] to freeze assets, prohibit all transactions and deny visas to Russians implicated in human rights abuses. Russian President Vladimir Putin [official website, in Russian; JURIST news archive] in December signed into law [JURIST report] a bill that prohibits US citizens from adopting Russian children, possibly in retaliation. Also In December a Moscow court acquitted [JURIST report] prison doctor Dmitry Kratov of all charges stemming from Magnitsky's death, with the judge finding no evidence showing a causal link between Kratov's negligence and Magnitsky's death. Kratov was the head of medical services at Butyrka Prison, where Magnitsky died from untreated pancreatitis. An investigation conducted by Russia's Presidential Council on Human Rights concluded [JURIST report] that in addition to being denied medical treatment Magnitsky had been severely beaten during his year long pretrial incarceration. Kratov was accused of negligence for allegedly refusing to respond to repeated requests by Magnitsky to treat his life-threatening condition.

Google has faced many legal challenges regarding the privacy of internet users. In December an Italian court overturned a conviction of Google executives [JURIST report] for privacy violations from allowing a bullying video to be posted on its site. In November the company was fined $22.5 million [JURIST report] for alleged privacy misrepresentations concerning Apple's Safari Internet browser. In February 2012 a federal judge dismissed [JURIST report] a suit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) [advocacy website], a consumer privacy group, that asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [official website] to block Google's proposed privacy changes [text] that would allow a user's information to be shared among several Google products, including YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps.

The depth of the Syrian tragedy is poignantly reflected in the accounts of its victims. Their harrowing experiences of survival detail grave human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The destructive dynamics of the civil war not only have an impact on the civilian population but are also tearing apart the country's complex social fabric, jeopardizing future generations and undermining peace and security in the entire region.

The Syrian government has been in conflict with the anti-government forces since 2011, and the international community has become increasingly concerned about the violence. The conflict arose out of revolt against President Bashar al-Assad [BBC backgrounder], which began with peaceful protests that quickly turned into violence between Assad's forces and demonstrators. This month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay reported [JURIST report] that the death toll resulting from two years of armed conflict in Syria is approaching 70,000. Last month more than 50 countries asked the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria [JURIST report] to the ICC. A study carried out by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported in January that the average number of deaths per month has increased significantly [JURIST report] since the summer of 2011, where the average was approximately 1,000 per month, to an average of 5,000 deaths per month since July 2012. A UN official said in November that a video posted on the Internet of Syrian rebels executing government soldiers who had surrendered may be evidence of war crimes [JURIST report]. In October, Pillay called on the international community to work to bring an end to the Syrian conflict [JURIST report]. In September UN investigators reported [JURIST report] that the number and frequency of human rights violations committed by both sides of the conflict were increasing rapidly.

In October Nasheed was arrested [JURIST report] for leaving the capital city of Male in contravention of a court summons and a court-imposed travel ban. Nasheed twice failed to appear in court to face abuse of power charges. Earlier in October a three-judge panel was forced to postpone the first day of Nashed's trial after he violated his travel ban [JURIST report], leaving Male in a boat that day in order to campaign in the Maldives' southern islands. A week earlier the Hulhumale Magistrate Court had issued an order prohibiting Nasheed from leaving the city [JURIST report] without official permission. Nasheed's supporters claimed that the move was politically motivated to limit the ex-president's ability to campaign for the election scheduled for November 2013.

Egypt has been plagued by continuing protests and violence since the beginning of the revolution. Earlier this month the Supreme Constitutional Court postponed ruling [JURIST report] on whether the legislative constitutional assembly that recently drafted a new charter was legitimate. The judges claimed a crowd of Islamists outside the courthouse of had intimidated the judges and blocked the entrance to the courthouse. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] in late January voiced concern [JURIST report] over the growing violence and rising death toll in Egypt stemming from ongoing protests throughout the country. Earlier in January Morsi declared a state of emergency in an attempt to quell growing unrest and violent political protests in cities a day after nationwide unrest compounded following an Egyptian court ruling handing down 21 death sentences [JURIST reports] for a 2012 soccer riot that resulted in 74 deaths and thousands of injuries.