Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) filed suit in the country's Constitutional Court Friday in an effort to halt proposed constitutional amendments offered by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) . The CHP is challenging reforms that seek to restructure the judiciary, claiming they compromise judicial independence and represent an improper AKP attempt to [...]

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon on Thursday introduced legislation to strengthen prohibitions on bulk removal of Canada's fresh water outside the country. The Transboundary Waters Protection Act would strengthen existing regulations by giving rivers and streams that cross international borders the same protection already in place for the Great Lakes. The bill would also [...]

The Spanish General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) voted unanimously Friday to suspend National Court judge Baltasar Garzon for abusing his power by opening an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed under Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War . The CGPJ, ruling 18-0 with three abstentions, was required to hand down the suspension once [...]

The UN General Assembly on Thursday elected 14 new members to the Human Rights Council (HRC) , half of which have questionable human rights records. Several of the new members, including Libya, Angola, Malaysia, Thailand, and Uganda have been accused of human rights violations. The election, which is performed as a secret ballot, was uncontested, [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday ordered the release of Russian Guantanamo Bay detainee Ravil Mingazov . Judge Henry Kennedy Jr ordered the government to "take all necessary and appropriate diplomatic steps to facilitate Mingazov's release forthwith." Government lawyers are currently reviewing the 44-page ruling, which has [...]

The Roman Catholic Diocese in Vermont on Thursday settled with dozens of former alter boys who alleged they were sexually abused by several clergy 30 years ago. The church agreed to pay 26 accusers a total of $17.65 million to drop child sex abuse cases pending in Burlington's Chittenden Superior Court . The original claims [...]

Haitian prosecutors on Thursday requested a six-month prison term for a US missionary accused of illegally trying to remove 33 children from the country in the wake of the January 12 earthquake . Prosecutors claimed that Laura Silsby knew she was breaking the law when she attempted to take the children into the Dominican Republic. [...]

A lawyer from the Spanish National Court Office of the Prosecutor on Wednesday petitioned judge Ismael Moreno to issue arrest warrants for 13 CIA agents who allegedly kidnapped a German citizen of Lebanese descent in 2003 as part of the Bush administration's extraordinary rendition program. Khaled el-Masri claims that the CIA kidnapped him while he [...]

Zimbabwe Attorney General Johannes Tomana on Wednesday appealed the recent Supreme Court decision to acquit Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party treasurer and deputy agriculture minister-nominee Roy Bennett of terrorism and insurgency charges. Tomana alleged that Justice Chinembiri Bhunu erred in evaluating the authenticity of electronic evidence against Bennett as a matter of law. Bennett, [...]

Israeli forces unlawfully destroyed civilian property during the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza strip, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report Thursday. According to the report, "'I Lost Everything': Israel's Unlawful Destruction of Property in the Gaza Conflict," there were at least 12 separate cases in which Israeli forces destroyed civilian property, [...]