The High Court in London ruled in favour of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Monday, allowing him to appeal against his contentious extradition to the US for alleged espionage associated with the publication of US classified documents while he . He will remain in the UK for the time being. Outside the High Court, under uncharacteristically [...]
Search Results for: death penalty
The Last Laugh: The Moral Quandary of Comedy in Capital Punishment Discourse
Recently, the Alabama Supreme Court approved a request by the state to execute Allan Eugene Miller with nitrogen gas. This will be the second time Alabama will attempt to execute Miller and the second use of nitrogen gas for the purpose of execution. Alabama wants to kill with nitrogen gas despite widespread reporting of a [...]
Human rights organizations urge Saudi Arabia to end executions of child offenders
A global coalition of human rights organizations sounded the alarm on Monday over the fates of young men facing imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for crimes allegedly committed when they were minors. In an open letter, the advocacy groups argued that Saudi Arabia’s decision to move forward with the executions of several young men for [...]
Alabama legislature rejects bill allowing for resentencing of death row inmates
The Alabama House of Representatives rejected a bill on Wednesday that would allow the resentencing of death row inmates who were sentenced by a trial judge. The bill was defeated in Alabama’s House Judicial Committee by a 9-4 vote. In 2016, the US Supreme Court issued an opinion on Hursts v. Florida finding, “The Sixth [...]
Amnesty International urges immediate investigation into war crimes in Merawi, Ethiopia
Amnesty International asserted Friday that African and global human rights bodies must urgently investigate alleged war crimes committed by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in the town of Merawi, Amhara region, on January 29, 2024. This incident, purportedly involving the killings of civilians through murder and extrajudicial executions, stands as one of the deadliest [...]
Former Cornell University student pleads guilty to posting antisemitic threats online
Former Cornell University student Patrick Dai pleaded guilty to making a threat using interstate communications against the university’s Jewish students. On October 28 and 29, 2023, Dai anonymously posted several antisemitic threats of violence against Cornell students in an online discussion forum. One of his posts stated: if I see a pig male jew I [...]
NGOs Like World Central Kitchen Must Do More to Protect War Zone Aid Workers
Without irony, Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen (WCK) accused Israel of a “crime against humanity” in the recent accidental deaths of seven WCK volunteers by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. His accusation has generated a furious, and troubling discussion — focused on Israel’s culpability. US President Joe Biden claimed Israel has not [...]
Confronting Blind Spots: A Call for Constructive Dialogue on Israel's Response to Hamas
Constructive dialogue over complex issues seems increasingly difficult to find in these extremely polarizing times. For the Jewish community of which I am a part, the highly valued idea of any such “makhloket l’sheim shamayim” — the Talmudic notion of an argument for the sake of heaven — seems all the more elusive when attempting [...]
Michigan judge sentences parents of Oxford High School shooter to 10 to 15 years in prison
Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews sentenced Jennifer and James Crumbley on Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter. The Crumbleys are the parents of the Oxford High School shooter who killed four fellow students in 2021 and wounded several others. When sentencing the Crumbleys, Matthews stated that the “sentencing guidelines in [...]
Uganda made international headlines this week as its Constitutional Court upheld the bulk of a draconian law that would impose the death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality.” But for LGBTQ+ activists within the country, the death penalty isn’t the only specter that looms in the judgment’s aftermath. Over the past 15 years, Ugandan authorities have endeavored [...]