The Vaucluse criminal court in Avignon, France, convicted 51 men including the main defendant Dominique Pelicot in a rape trial on Thursday. The case sparks debates on adding the consent element to the current definition of rape under the French Criminal Code. Dominique admitted to drugging and raping his now ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, and inviting [...]
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted waiver requests from California on Wednesday that allow the state to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. California requested the waivers for its Advanced Clean Cars II Rule and Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation. Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act requires EPA to develop applicant [...]
The Georgia Court of Appeals removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case against president-elect Donald Trump and 18 others on Thursday over Willis’ previously undisclosed relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The appeals court agreed with the trial court that the relationship created an “appearance of impropriety,” and found that [...]
The European Parliament condemned ongoing human rights violations in Azerbaijan on Thursday, urging the country’s government to release Armenian prisoners and cease its repression of civil society. In a resolution passed with 434 votes in favour, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) highlighted alleged rights violations in Azerbaijan including the suppression of activists, journalists, and [...]
Leaders from the European Union (EU) and the US issued a strong joint statement Thursday condemning the recent crackdown on opposition activists and the decline of human rights in Georgia. This condemnation follows a series of protests against the Georgian government where police have faced accusations of using excessive force against demonstrators advocating for democratic reforms and [...]
The Hague District Court sentenced Dutch woman Hasna A to ten years for crimes including the enslavement of a Yazidi woman, marking a significant step in the pursuit of justice for Yazidi genocide survivors, though challenges remain as national courts like those in Germany, Sweden, and France use universal jurisdiction to address these crimes, highlighting [...]
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed a lower court’s ruling that a state law violated the youth plaintiffs’ right to a clean and healthful environment under the state constitution. The court found that an exemption in the Montana Environmental Policy Act violated the right to a clean and healthful environment by “preclud an analysis [...]
The US saw a slight increase in new death sentences in 2024 while executions remained near historic lows, according to a year-end report released Thursday by the Death Penalty Information Center. Twenty-six new death sentences were handed down in 2024, up from the previous year, though the overall death row population continued its decades-long decline [...]
The United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) issued findings Wednesday regarding Benin, Egypt, Peru and Seychelles’ adherence to the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers. The findings come shortly after the committee concluded its 39th session. In its evaluations, the [...]
France’s supreme court, the Cour de Cassation, upheld a Paris Court of Appeals ruling on Wednesday, confirming the conviction of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling, sentencing him to a year under electronic monitoring. Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty in March 2021 by [...]
