The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday denied petitions for panel and en banc rehearing of its decision upholding California’s law prohibiting licensed therapists from utilizing sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), also known as conversion therapy. The plaintiffs in the case, which include a group of SOCE practitioners, filed for panel [...]

The US State Department , Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) joined Tuesday to condemn the Cuban government’s detentions of dissidents to keep them away from a Havana summit of hemispheric leaders. According to rights activists in Havana, an estimated 100 pro-democracy activists have been briefly detained or put under house arrest for [...]

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that 2014 should be the year to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as the US shifts away from a “permanent war footing.” Obama first pledged to close the detention center five years ago, despite political opposition, and urged congress during his annual State of the Union address [...]

UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, on Monday praised Rwandan authorities’ accomplishments in developing infrastructure and ensuring stability and security since the nation’s 1994 genocide . The independent expert recently traveled to Rwanda to meet with government officials and to contribute to efforts taken toward [...]

The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution which extends the mandate of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) and imposes travel bans and asset freezes on those suspected of war crimes in the CAR. The resolution authorizes the International Support Mission in the CAR (MISCA) and EU [...]

The US Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday evening staying the execution of Missouri death row inmate Herbert Smulls. Smulls, who was convicted and sentenced to death for killing a jewelry store owner and injuring his wife during a robbery in 1991, was scheduled to die at 12:01 AM Wednesday. Smulls’ attorney filed a last [...]

The Verkhovna Rada , the Parliament of Ukraine continued an extraordinary session Wednesday to discuss amnesty for protesters arrested during the weeks of unrest that have gripped the nation. One of the amnesty proposals being considered by lawmakers would grant amnesty on the condition that protesters disband street protests and vacate buildings seized. In the [...]

The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. In a 57-40 vote , the Indiana House moved the joint resolution, which had been on the rolls since 2004, forward into the Senate chambers. However, because the current legislature removed language banning civil unions from the original proposal, [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist David Pimentel of Ohio Northern University’s Pettit College of Law argues that South Sudan’s rule of law challenges remain a stumbling block to its development and to its capacity for addressing internal conflicts and continuing violence …

The International Labour Organization (ILO) , a branch of the UN devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, called for cooperation amongst all parties involved in escalating violence in Cambodia on Tuesday, demanding a release of detained union strikers and a government probe into anti-protest police tactics. Recent demonstrations have [...]