The European Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) on Friday sentenced a former ethnic Albanian rebel fighter to five years in prison for crimes committed against civilians during the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo . Sali Rexhepi was charged with three counts of war crimes against the civilian population stemming from his membership and activity [...]

The Supreme Court of Venezuela ruled Monday that presidential hopeful Leopoldo Lopez remains banned from running in next year’s elections. Lopez, an opposition leader, is considered to be a threat to current President Hugo Chavez . As a result of corruption allegations, he was banned from public office through 2014 by the country’s comptroller general. [...]

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Tuesday that 396,906 illegal immigrants were deported in 2011 , the largest number in the agencies’ history. The report indicated that more than half of the deportees were convicted criminals. In August, the US drastically shifted immigration policy by putting [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled Monday that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is not obligated to reduce green house gas emissions, a contributor to global warming , in order to protect polar bears . However, the court also found that the controversial Bush-era special 4(d) [...]

UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Ahmed Shaheed said Monday that human rights violations in Iran are on the rise, as he presented a report to the UN General Assembly . Citing an increase in persecutions among political activists and journalists, Shaheed criticized detention conditions , the torture and mistreatment of detainees and the significant administration [...]

The Washington Office of the Secretary of State on Monday released the names of 137,500 people who signed petitions for Referendum 71 (R-71), opposing domestic partnerships, after a federal judge lifted the injunction and granted summary judgment to defendants. In Doe #1 v. Reed, the judge held that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that a [...]

The UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) announced Tuesday that the trial of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders will begin on Monday, November 21. The prosecution will have two days for opening statements followed by half a day of opening statements for the defense. The first segment of the trial is expected [...]

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday ruled that, under European law, a patent cannot be issued for any process which involves removing a stem cell from and then destroying a human embryo. The case stems from a German patent filed by Oliver Brustle who invented a method for converting human embryonic stem cells [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina heard arguments Monday on the constitutionality of North Carolina’s controversial new abortion law . The lawsuit , brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other human rights groups, contests the provision requiring abortion providers to show women ultrasounds prior [...]

The Israel Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals to halt the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. The petitions arguing against the release of more than 1,000 jailed Palestinians in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit were filed by four families of the victims of the prisoners set to [...]