Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Monday released Bahrain Center for Human Rights president Nabeel Rajab citing health reasons. Despite the release, the US State Department and Rajab himself expressed concern over continued efforts to limit free speech in the country. The State Department said recent events, including the re-arrest of opposition leader [...]

Testimony began Tuesday in a criminal defamation lawsuit brought on by the Thai Royal Navy against the website Phuketwan over a report it published claiming the military ignored refugee trafficking from Myanmar in exchange for monetary bribes. The report was originally published in Reuters in 2013, earning the agency a Pulitzer Prize. The editor, Alan [...]

US President Barack Obama , speaking at the NAACP Annual Convention on Tuesday, urged Congress to reform the criminal justice system by enacting legislation that would enforce criminal laws fairly and reduce disparities. Obama is also calling for sentencing reform, changes to the juvenile justice system, and a plan to reduce recidivism. Despite decreasing crime [...]

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter released a statement on Monday announcing the comprehensive plan of the US Department of Defense (DOD) to move in the direction of allowing transgender troops to serve in the military. The DOD has ordered a six-month study to examine the “policy and readiness implications” of welcoming openly transgender persons [...]

Negotiations between Iran and six world powers concluded in a nuclear agreement on Tuesday. The JCPOA outlines details of the agreement, in which Iran agreed not to create a nuclear bomb in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have permanent access to Iran’s nuclear facilities to monitor [...]

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Monday was charged with fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. The charges date back as far as 2007 before he was prime minister and the court has seized property of his pending the outcome of the case. He has been accused of receiving approximately $60,000 from a political ally [...]

China has significantly restricted the freedom of movement for Tibetans and other minorities said Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday. Referencing a report released by HRW last week, the rights group stated that China’s two-tiered passport issuing system essentially requires residents of certain areas mainly populated by minorities, such as the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) [...]

US President Barack Obama on Monday granted commuted sentences to 46 drug offenders in what he said was part of an effort by his administration to remedy the unfairness of the criminal justice system. In his statement, Obama noted that the majority of the men and women receiving clemency were convicted under previous drug laws [...]

The Iranian Revolutionary Court began on Monday the third closed-door hearing for Jason Rezaian , a Washington Post correspondent accused of espionage for allegedly collecting confidential information, handing it to hostile governments, and acting against national security. Rezaian, a dual US-Iranian citizen, has been detained in Iran for almost a year due to espionage charges [...]

The US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on Monday began hearing a challenge complaint, PDF; Advancement Project materials] to a North Carolina law limiting early voting and same-day voter registration. The lawsuit was brought by the US Department of Justice and the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP , which argue [...]