A group of eight senators from both parties released a framework Monday of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that they plan to introduce by March. The framework focuses on four “pillars” that the legislation will include: creating a path to citizenship for current unauthorized immigrants, contingent upon securing the borders; reforming the immigration system to ease [...]

Lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainee Abu Zubaydah on Monday asked the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to rule on whether Poland violated their client’s rights by aiding the US in detaining and allegedly torturing Zubaydah in a secret CIA prison . Zubaydah, a top al Qaeda suspect, alleges that he was transferred to Poland [...]

UN Special Rapporteur Mutuma Ruteere on Monday urged the Spanish government at every level to increase its focus on addressing the racial intolerance within its borders. Ruteere noted that a successful campaign against racial discrimination and intolerance would only be achieved by “clear and more visible political leadership in combating racism and xenophobia.” The statement [...]

A group of independent UN human rights experts on Friday urged Iran to stop the execution of five Ahwazi activists. UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran Ahmed Shaheed stated that the execution of Mohammad Ali Amouri, Sayed Jaber Alboshoka, Sayed Mokhtar Alboshoka, Hashem Shabain Amouri and [...]

The Philippines House of Representatives and Senate on Monday ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the newly reconciled version of the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 . The Congress on Thursday approved the bill allocating 10 billion pesos (USD $246 million) for the victims of human rights abuses committed by [...]

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday declared a state of emergency in an attempt to quell growing unrest and violent political protest in cities along the Suez Canal including Port Said, Ismailia and Suez. Clashes between Islamic and liberal factions have resulted in hundreds of injuries and at least 50 deaths since last Thursday. The [...]

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill on Sunday that will permit immigrants in the country illegally to obtain temporary driver’s licenses if they can provide proof of one-year state residence and an unexpired passport from their country of citizenship or a valid unexpired consular identification document and a photograph. The bill will allow potential [...]

Argentina signed an agreement with Iran on Sunday to create an independent Commission of Truth to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish community center. Argentinian courts have accused Iran of sponsoring the attack , which killed 85 people, and in 2007 Argentinian authorities secured Interpol arrest warrants for five Iranians, including current [...]

Defense lawyers for the five accused 9/11 conspirators petitioned a US military judge at Guantanamo Bay on Monday to preserve the prisons where the defendants were held as evidence. The defendants claim that they were tortured during their time held in secret CIA prisons. This is one of the many issues that are set to [...]

A Moscow court on Monday postponed the preliminary hearing for the posthumous trial of Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky. Magnitsky’s defense lawyer was appointed by the court after his family and lawyers refused to attend the trial, claiming the charges against Magnitsky were politically motivated . Magnitsky was jailed on tax evasion and fraud charges. He [...]