The Parliament of Japan (Diet) on Wednesday approved the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade deal at a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors (upper chamber of Diet). The move follows the Japanese Cabinet’s decision to approve the ratification in February. RCEP is touted as one of the world’s largest free trade deals [...]
US President Joe Biden pushed for gun control legislation Wednesday evening in his first major address to Congress. Banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as closing background check loopholes, are proposals the president is hoping to sign during his administration. “These kinds of reasonable reforms have overwhelming support from the American people, including [...]
The US Supreme Court tightened notice requirements under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) on Thursday, finding in favor of an undocumented immigrant who argued a procedural defect in the government’s case. Under the IIRIRA, the government must serve “a notice to appear” on persons it is seeking to remove [...]
A US federal grand jury indicted the three Georgia men Wednesday charged with “federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping” in connection with the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery is the unarmed 25-year-old Black man whose name became a rallying cry during the 2020 protests against police brutality. On February 23, 2020, three white residents of [...]
Sri Lanka’s cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal to ban all kinds of face veils, including burqas, in public places due to threats to “national security.” The approval comes a month after the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution “to promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.” Based on a UN report [...]
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law published a 26-page report and six-page annotated proposal Wednesday addressing why 18 USC § 242 makes it difficult to prosecute police, federal agents, and probation and correctional officers who engage in civil rights violations. The foreword to the report states that the Brennan [...]
Greek Member of the European Parliament for the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn Ioannis Lagos was arrested in Brussels on Tuesday after a 658-24 vote of the European Parliament to lift his immunity with 10 abstentions. This came following a request for the waiver of his immunity by the Prosecutor at the Supreme Court of Greece [...]
A report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Tuesday found that the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failing to pay fines or appear at court proceedings is ultimately counterproductive to collecting money owed. The organization is recommending that state and local governments stop imposing such restrictions. The majority of US states suspend driver’s [...]
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Malawi ruled Wednesday that the imposition of the death penalty is unconstitutional and contrary to the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution of Malawi. It further ordered the re-sentencing of all convicts facing execution. The ruling comes following an appeal by Charles Khoviwa, who, despite having no prior convictions, [...]
UN human rights experts expressed serious concern for the independence of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Tuesday, following the recent appointment of new members to the Commission in a process that is seen to be inconsistent with international standards. The statement follows the adoption of an ordinance by the president of Nepal in December, [...]
