China's ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang was found guilty Thursday of bribery, abuse of power and intentionally disclosing national secrets was sentenced to life imprisonment. He has also been deprived of his political rights for life and has had his...

The Constitutional Court of Belgium on Thursday ruled that a law requiring Internet service providers and telecommunications operators to retain customer metadata for possible future police investigations violates fundamental privacy rights and is...

The North Carolina House of Representatives on Thursday passed a law that would allow some court officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriages based on their religious beliefs, overriding a veto by Governor...

UN Special Rapporteur Miklós Haraszti on Thursday warned that Belarus continues to sentence and imprison political opponents of the government. Haraszti cited examples from April and May where existing prisoners we given extended sentences or placed...

The Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled Thursday that a law restricting the medical use of marijuana to smoking the dried plant was unconstitutional. Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act , smoking marijuana for medical purposes...

The Center for Reproductive Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Florida filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a Florida law requiring women to visit a doctor and wait 24...

An Arkansas judge on Tuesday ordered that 500 same-sex marriages performed in the state last year be recognized as valid. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ordered the recognition of the marriages performed during a six-day window last...

The Wisconsin State Senate on Tuesday passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act , limiting the ability of a woman to seek an abortion more than 20 weeks into her pregnancy. Proponents of the bill say it...

According to an unreleased report obtained by the Associated Press , some members of a UN peacekeeping mission engaged in sexual exploitation with more than 200 Haitian women, telling them that they had to in order...

Greece's Ministry of Justice on Wednesday unveiled plans to introduce legislation giving civil union rights to same-sex couples. This marks the first time in the country's history that such legislation...