The presidents of two UN-backed courts this week joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) in calling for the immediate release of four staff members who were detained in Libya earlier this month. The Presidents of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said in statements [...]

A coalition of news organizations asked the US Supreme Court on Thursday to allow live audio and video recording of the announcement of its decision regarding the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) . In its letter, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) urged the court to permit [...]

The Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) war crimes court on Friday sentenced four former Bosnian Serb soldiers for their involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre . Franc Kos, Stanko Kojic, Vlastimir Golijan and Zoran Goronja were found guilty of crimes against humanity, and the court sentenced Kos and Goronja to 40 years each, Kojic to 43 [...]

Japanese police on Friday arrested the last major suspect accused of involvement in a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995. The attacks, allegedly orchestrated by a Japan-based cult known as Aum Shinrikyo , killed 13 people and sickened more than 5,500 more. Katsuya Takahashi, a former member of the cult, was [...]

Syrian forces are sexually abusing men, women and children who have been detained during the ongoing conflict, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Friday. HRW interviewed more than a dozen former Syrian detainees who were sexually assaulted by either the Syrian army or pro-government militias known as shabiha. Many detainees claimed that they were being imprisoned [...]

Fifty aid groups and UN offices on Thursday signed a joint statement urging Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza Strip , calling it a violation of international law. Among the signatories are Amnesty International, the World Health Organization and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights . The joint statement [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday swore in its new prosecutor, Gambian war crimes lawyer Fatou Bensouda, who will succeed Luis Moreno-Ocampo . ICC President, Judge Sang-Hyun Song , opened the ceremony with remarks on his confidence in Bensouda’s ability to strengthen the ICC’s influence for international criminal justice. The floor was passed to [...]

Cook County State Attorney Anita Alvarez argued Thursday that Illinois’ ban on same-sex marriage contravenes the state’s constitution. Her response , filed on behalf of Cook County Clerk David Orr , is part of ongoing proceedings in two lawsuits filed at the end of May against Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Orr, who issues marriage [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Thursday sentenced Allen Stanford to 110 years in prison without parole. Judge David Hittner reduced the sentence from the 230 years originally requested by the prosecution last week for his $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Defense lawyers for Stanford, who has been [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a report on Wednesday claiming that it costs $68,270 per year to house a prisoner age 50 and older while many pose virtually no threat to society. The ACLU found that 16 percent of the national prison population is age 50 and older with California, Texas, Florida and [...]