World Legal News
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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Tuesday overturned the president’s decision to dissolve parliament and called for a halt in preparations for a snap election on January 5. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved parliament because he lacked the support to install the prime minister of his choice, Mahinda Rajapaksa, after firing the previous [...]

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The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday against Dutch company Levola in its attempt to copyright the taste of a spreadable cheese product it produces, finding that the taste of a food product is not eligible for copyright protection. The case began over a decade ago when a Dutch food retailer created the spreadable dip Heksenkaas (commonly referred [...]

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on the government of Bangladesh on Tuesday to halt plans to repatriate more than 2,200 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning that their lives would be at “serious risk” and that the returns would violate international law. “Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their [...]

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The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) published its 2018 report Monday, reviewing 100 companies based on their adherence to UN General Principles on Business and Human Rights, and finding that most companies are falling short. Each company received a score between 1-100 percent based on six categories. Governance and policies made up 10 percent of [...]

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Three decades after the initial filing, a special anti-corruption court on Friday sentenced former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, to serve 6-11 years in prison for each of seven counts of violating anti-corruption laws. She is accused of funneling USD $200 million into Swiss bank accounts under the name “John Lewis” in the [...]

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The Central Criminal Court of Iraq on Monday convicted five members of the Islamic State to death by hanging. The five members were accused of detonating a car bomb at an Iraqi Army security checkpoint in Baghdad, resulting in the death and injuries of 13. According to the Media Center of the Supreme Judicial Council in the Rasafa Federal [...]

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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned warning the government of Myanmar Monday against the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims to the Rakhine State in northern Myanmar. The UNHCR urged the government to allow the Rohingya refugees to “go and see the conditions in Myanmar for themselves” before they decide whether it is safe enough [...]

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Experts of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on Thursday said that a Spanish Supreme Court case set milestone in international human rights law. In its decision, the Spanish Supreme Court found for a victim of domestic violence, enforced compliance with the committee’s recommendations and recognized the violation of the [...]

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The Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled Friday that denying prisoners the right to vote is inconsistent with the country’s Bill of Rights. This ruling reaffirms a previous declaratory statement issued by New Zealand’s High Court. Section 12 of New Zealand’s Bill of Rights reads: Every New Zealand citizen who is of or over the [...]

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