Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore pledged Thursday to bring “legal clarity” to Ireland’s abortion laws following the death of Savita Halappanavar , a 31-year-old dentist who was denied a potentially life saving abortion. Ireland, a traditionally Catholic nation, has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The Irish Constitution recognizes a right [...]

Six Pennsylvania judges filed suit challenging a section of the state constitution which requires all justices and judges of Pennsylvania to retire at the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 70. The plaintiffs argue that this requirement is in violation of the equal protection and due process clauses of [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged nations around the globe to carry out the rulings made by the International Criminal Court (ICC) . Speaking before 500 high-level officials at a ceremony for the tenth anniversary of the ICC, Ban praised the court for bringing perpetrators of human rights abuses to justice. However, Ban also [...]

Myanmar announced on Wednesday that it has freed 452 prisoners ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama . Myanmar’s state-run media reported that the government has released the prisoners on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture by the nation. However, Myanmar’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) criticized the [...]

A UN internal review panel (IRP) released a report on Wednesday stating that the UN failed to meet its responsibilities at the end of and in the aftermath of the Sri Lanka war which ended in 2009. The report raises many concerns regarding the UN’s response to certain situations, including failure to meet the needs [...]

Women displaced by conflict in Colombia are facing rape and domestic violence as well as obstacles in obtaining health care, protection and legal remedies, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Wednesday. The report states that the four million women who have been forced out of their homes due to armed conflicts in [...]

The Nigerian House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the second reading of a bill that makes same-sex marriage illegal and also places sanctions on individuals who aid in the marriage of same-sex couples. The measure was approved by the Nigerian Senate last year, and will undergo a clause-by-clause review before it becomes finalized. The bill [...]

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday retracted a contempt of court charge filed against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf after approving notification of his compliance with a June directive that ordered the revival of corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari . Pakistan’s Minister for Law and Justice, Farooq Naek, on November 9 submitted [...]

Sri Lanka should take appropriate measures to protect the country’s judiciary from threats, intimidation and physical attacks, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers urged on Wednesday. In her statement, Gabriela Knaul noted that the situation of recent attacks on judges may escalate, seriously endangering the county’s justice system. According to [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Paul Johnson, Anniversary Reader at the University of York, argues that the European Court of Human Rights’ recent decision in H. v. Finland is a predictable and disappointing step taken against the rights of same-sex couples…