The president of Spain’s Catalonia region signed a decree today calling for a referendum on secession and independence from Spain , inciting confrontation from Spain’s central government in Madrid . In a statement after the ceremonial signing, President Artur Mas , emphasizing Catalonia’s “right to decide its political future,” announced that the independence vote would [...]

An Indian court on Saturday sentenced Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram to four years in prison for corruption in a case that was filed 18 years ago. Special Judge John Michael D’Cunha held Jayaram “guilty of amassing wealth disproportionate to known sources of her income” under Sections 109 and 120 (b) of the Indian [...]

An Egyptian court on Saturday has postponed the verdict in the retrial of former president Hosni Mubarak until November 29 due to the large amount of evidence. The verdict in the case was originally scheduled to be announced today, however, Judge Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidy instead announced the postponement during court. Mubarak, his former security chief [...]

The newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad on Thursday decried the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for its recent killings and human rights violations of women in ISIL-controlled areas in Iraq. He specifically condemned ISIL’s public execution earlier this week of Sameera Salih Ali Al-Nuaimy, a [...]

The American Justice Center on Thursday filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of anonymous survivors against India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for human rights abuses stemming from the religious riots in Gujarat in 2002. Modi was chief minister of Gujarat when Hindu [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon released a video statement for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Core Group Ministerial Event on Thursday calling for an end to transphobia and homophobia . The UN has led by example in this arena, introducing measures to ensure fairer treatment of gay and lesbian UN staff and their families, [...]

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and a number of UN officials on Thursday urged global leaders to abolish the death penalty. In in a presentation and accompanying report entitled “Moving Away from the Death Penalty,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson stated: All human rights rest on the right to [...]

US Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday. Holder, appointed in February 2009, was the first African-American to hold the position of Attorney General in the US and has had one of the longest terms as Attorney General. In his remarks on Holder’s resignation, US President Barack [...]

The Pennsylvania State Senate approved legislation Thursday that would legalize several forms of medical marijuana. Senate Bill 1182 , proposed by state senator Daylin Leach , passed with strong support 43-7 and will now proceed to the State House of Representatives. The bill calls for the creation of a State Board of Medical Cannabis Licensing, [...]

A panel for the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Wednesday that the district court’s order that expands Ohio’s voting schedule can remain in effect. Earlier this month US District Court Judge Peter Economus ruled that an Ohio law that cut down the 35 days of early in-person voting violates the [...]