The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday suspended a government ban on cattle trading for the sole purpose of slaughter. In May Prime Minister Narendra Modi , a Hindu nationalist, decreed that cattle trade could only be conducted for agricultural purposes such as dairy production and plowing. Cows are considered holy in Hinduism and their [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist L. Ali Khan of the Washburn University School of Law discusses the rationale behind some proposed changes to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct… The American Bar Association (ABA) has proposed a model rule to discipline lawyers who in the practice of law harass or discriminate, by speech or conduct, on [...]

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the niqab, a full-face veil, in public spaces. The court dismissed two cases, Belcacemi and Oussar v. Belgium and Dakir v. Belgium , that asserted the ban was in violation of Articles 8, 9, 10 and 14 of the European Convention [...]

Amnesty International (AI) on Monday condemned Bahrain’s sentencing of a human rights defender. Nabeel Rajab was originally arrested in June 2016 after he tweeted about alleged torture in a Bahrani prison. A Bahrani court ordered his release in December 2016, but shortly after his release he was arrested on the current charges. Rajab was sentenced [...]

Cambodia’s National Assembly on Monday passed a bill which prohibits political parties from being affiliated with convicted criminals. Commentators believe the law is aimed at weakening the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) . The party’s former leader, Sam Rainsy, recently resigned from the party after he was sentenced to two years in prison on [...]

Two UN rights experts said Monday that Israel should reconsider the charges it is pursuing against Issa Armo, a Palestinian human rights defender. The Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Michael Lynk, and the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Michel Forst, made a joint statement in favor of Israel dropping charges against Armo, [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Monday against President Donald Trump’s election commission for lack of accountability in violation of federal law. The Federal Advisory Committee Act was created to ensure that all advisory committees were accountable to the public regarding procedure and operation. The ACLU’s complaint accuses the administration of [...]

London’s High Court of Justice ruled Monday that the UK can continue to export arms to Saudi Arabia. The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) brought the suit on the grounds that the weapons have been used to violate International Humanitarian rights laws. For the last two years, Saudi Arabia has been waging attacks on Yemen [...]

The Permanent Court of Arbitration has published a decision that Philip Morris must pay substantial legal fees to the Australian government for a failed suit the tobacco company brought concerning cigarette packaging laws. In 2011 Australia, the UK and other countries replaced logos and distinctive coloring on cigarette packages with graphic health warnings. After a [...]

Venezuelan political prisoner Leopoldo López was released from a military prison Saturday on house arrest after the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice ordered his release due to health concerns. López has been detained by the government since early 2014 on a 13-year sentence after being charged with inciting anti-government protests. Venezuela has [...]