JURIST Guest Columnist Curtis Doebbler, professor of law at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine, says that while the recent opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence is likely to be an important point of reference for the representatives of other groups seeking self-determination, it is unlikely to be [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force Montana to provide legal status to same-sex relationships. The lawsuit, filed in Montana’s First Judicial District Court on behalf of seven same-sex couples, seeks declaratory judgment that the state must provide a legal status to same-sex couples that confers the same rights [...]

The US Senate will not pass broad climate legislation during this session, according to statements made Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) . Reid said that the body lacks the 60 votes necessary to end debate on the bill and pass the legislation, but also indicated that he would attempt to pass a [...]

A Chinese court on Friday convicted a Uighur journalist of endangering national security for statements made following the 2009 Xinjiang riots . The Intermediate People’s Court of Urumqi sentenced Gheyret Niyaz, editor of uighurbiz.net and two state-run websites, to 15 years in prison after the one-day trial for statements he made had to foreign media [...]

Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Thursday called for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir , saying that he will eventually face trial before the ICC. Last week, the ICC charged al-Bashir with three counts of genocide in relation to the Darfur conflict . The genocide charges were added [...]

Laws criminalizing homosexual activity are contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the findings of a study announced Wednesday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) . The study, “Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia and [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday granted the habeas corpus petition of Yemeni citizen Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif and ordered his immediate release from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Latif, who has been in custody for over eight years, contends that he was in Pakistan for medical [...]

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Thursday that Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia did not violate international law. Serbia argued that UN Resolution 1244 , which ended the war in Kosovo, solidified the country’s boundaries, which included the southern region of Kosovo. Kosovo argued that the resolution was not meant to exclude [...]

Kenya’s High Court ruled Wednesday that Kenyan authorities had violated the fundamental rights of 21 former political prisoners subjected to torture, awarding them Ksh 40 million (USD $500,000) in compensation. The former prisoners were held during the 1980s by the government of former Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi , who ruled from 1978-2002, and subjected [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) charged Wednesday that Chinese authorities used excessive force in responding to the 2008 Tibetan demonstrations and tortured those in custody following the demonstrations in violation of international law. In a report, “I Saw It With My Own Eyes” , HRW said that the Chinese government violated the UN Basic Principles on [...]