The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Tuesday that the national law requiring minimum sentences for gun crimes is unconstitutional because it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The high court ruled 6-3 to affirm a 2013 ruling on the issue. Section 95 of the Canadian criminal code outlines the criminal punishment for conviction of possession of [...]

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday expressed concern over the increased violence and human rights abuses committed in Mali. Bandits, Islamist armed groups and pro-government militias have reportedly threatened the security of civilians in the central and northern Mali, with little or no action from the government. The advocacy group recounted interviews they recorded with [...]

A Milan court declared on Tuesday that former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has fully served his sentence for tax fraud and will now be permitted to travel out of the country. Berlusconi was found guilty of tax fraud in 2012 and was originally sentenced to four years in prison on charges that his media [...]

A UK judge ruled Tuesday that a convicted member of the Basque separatist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) can be extradited to Spain. In his ruling, Judge Howard Riddle said there had been no abuse of process in Antoio Troitino’s case, and he could receive a fair trial in Spain . Troitino served 24 years [...]

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a law on Monday that recognizes civil unions between same-sex couples, a move hailed by advocates as a step toward full marriage rights. The law, which will take effect in six months, gives same-sex and unmarried couples the right to inherit each other’s property, join one another’s health plans and [...]

A UN report released on Monday stated 2014 was marked by rape, sexual enslavement and forced marriages used by extremists like Boko Haram and the Islamic State. Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon said in the report that destroying these radical groups is essential in the fight against sexual violence. Nineteen countries including Syria, Nigeria, Iraq and Somalia, [...]

JURIST Guest Columnists James G. Hodge Jr. and Gregory Measer of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, discuss the potential impact of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana and other states on protecting and promoting the public’s health … Fierce debates and extensive media coverage have centered on potential for [...]

The Fukui District Court issued an injunction on Tuesday halting the restart of two nuclear reactors is Takahama, Japan. These reactors, operated by Kansai Electric Power , met the basic safety guidelines set by Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) and were scheduled to re-open this year. However, the court ruled in favor of the locals [...]

US Congressman Doug Collins on Monday introduced a resolution to block net neutrality rules that were introduced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in February. In a press release Collins noted that this resolution would only require a “Senate majority to pass under special procedural rules of the Congressional Review Act.” In Collins’ view, the [...]