The Washington Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that a voter approved measure requiring a super-majority vote by the state legislature in order to raise taxes is unconstitutional. The initiative was approved by voters on multiple occasions, but the majority ruled that the language of the state’s constitution is clear and unequivocal. Article II, section 22 [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday presented an annual report detailing her office’s efforts in 2012 and urging further action to confront global human rights challenges. The report identifies and elaborates on advances and challenges within six human rights “thematic priorities” established for the years 2010 to 2013. These include discrimination, [...]

A court of appeals in Bahrain overturned the acquittal of Zainab al-Khawaja, who is accused of insulting a government employee, and sentenced her to three months of imprisonment on Friday, according to the Bahrain State New Agency (BNA). Al-Khawaja is the daughter of prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja , and has served previous [...]

A Dutch court on Friday convicted Yvonne Basebya , a Dutch citizen born in Rwanda, of inciting genocide in Rwanda in 1994. The District Court of The Hague sentenced Basebya to six years and eight months in prison for her role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide . The court found that Basebya incited genocide by [...]

Former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier appeared before a Haitian court on Thursday, after previously rebuffing summonses for alleged human rights abuses from 1971-1986. Thursday’s hearing marked the first time that the plaintiffs confronted Duvalier. Duvalier had ignored three previous summonses before his appearance in court on Thursday. A judge told Duvalier that he would be jailed [...]

The Obama administration urged the US Supreme Court Thursday to strike down California’s ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry . The US Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, arguing that California’s ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8 , violates the [...]

The Spanish Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a city ban on wearing veils over the face in municipal buildings, finding that the law infringes on religious freedom. The city of Lleida, in Catalonia, was the first Spanish city to impose such a ban, but only about 3 percent of its population is Muslim. The [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday declined to hear the appeals of three men convicted of participation in a terrorist plot. Zakaria Amara, Saad Khalid and Saad Gaya, who were members of the “Toronto 18” terrorist group, were given sentences ranging from 14 years to life for their participation in a failed plot to [...]

The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by a vote of 286-138 with seven not voting. The Senate approved the same version of the bill earlier this month, and it will now go to President Barack Obama for final approval. The president welcomed the passage of the legislation [...]

Pfc. Bradley Manning pleaded guilty on Thursday to 10 of the 22 charges against him for providing classified materials to WikiLeaks in what the government says is the largest leak of classified documents in US history. Manning, who is charged with violating the Espionage Act, pleaded not guilty to the most serious charge against him, [...]