More than 40 Catholic dioceses and other Catholic institutions around the US filed suits on Monday against the Obama administration, alleging that certain employer insurance requirements issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violate their right to religious freedom protected by the first amendment. The mandate in question was added to [...]

The Russian State Duma , the lower house of parliament, gave preliminary approval Tuesday to legislation that would create harsh penalties for participating in illegal protests. The bill, supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin , would impose fines up to USD $50,000 for organizers of demonstrations that become violent or exceed the approved number of [...]

Six accused Somali pirates went on trial in a Paris court Tuesday for taking 30 crew members hostage in 2008 on the ship Le Ponant in the Gulf of Aden. The men could face life in prison if convicted of both kidnapping and theft as a result of seizing the luxury ship, which led to [...]

A Guatemalan judge ruled Monday that former dictator Efrain Rios Montt will have a second genocide trial for ordering a 1982 massacre which killed 201 people. Judge Carol Patricia Flores found enough evidence linking Rios Montt to Las Dos Erres massacre for another genocide trial. The massacre, which took place when about 20 soldiers were [...]

Former Libyan chief of intelligence Abdullah al-Senussi will face charges of illegally entering the country of Mauritania , an anonymous source told Reuters on Monday. Al-Senussi, who served under Muammar Gaddafi, was arrested in Mauritania in March. A trial in the country will delay other international efforts to prosecute al Senussi. Libya’s National Transitional Council [...]

An Egyptian court on Tuesday convicted five police officers in absentia for the death of protesters last year and sentenced each to 10 years in prison. The men were charged with killing protesters during the 2011 revolution. The conviction was a victory for victims’ families who have seen many police acquitted on similar charges. Nearly [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday rejected a challenge to a $3.4 billion settlement in the American Indian trust class-action lawsuit. Judge Thomas Hogan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia approved the settlement last June—the largest in US government history. Class member Kimberly Craven [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that member states have broad discretion in deciding which prisoners should get the right to vote, giving the UK six months to propose amendments to its laws. In the present case , the court found that there was no violation of Article 3 of Protocol No. [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Monday ruled that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) do not have to release records pertaining to CIA detention and interrogation programs for prisoners in US custody overseas. The unanimous three-judge panel held that certain exemptions under the Freedom of [...]

Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was charged Tuesday along with two colleagues for violating a government protest ban. They face charges for violating the recently passed Peaceful Assembly Act by participating in a large-scale demonstration last month to demand electoral reforms. Anwar, who was acquitted of sodomy charges in January, [...]