The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Monday temporarily adjourned proceedings against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic after Karadzic failed to appear for the opening of his war crimes trial. Karadzic announced last week that he planned to boycott his trial because he had not been given adequate time to prepare [...]

An Ontario law banning the use of handheld devices while driving took effect Monday, outlawing text messaging and talking on a cellphone while behind the wheel. The ban makes it illegal to use any handheld wireless communication devices but also extends to any device with a screen that can take the driver's eye off the [...]

The Seoul Central District court on Monday found Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk guilty of embezzling research funds and bioethics violations. Hwang was acquitted on fraud charges and given a two-year suspended sentence instead of the four-year sentence requested by the prosecution. Hwang, who worked for the Seoul National University (SNU) , was charged in 2006 with [...]

Former Uruguay military dictator and army chief Gregorio Alvarez was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for his role in 37 homicides during the country's 1973-1985 military rule . Alvarez, who served as commander in chief and later as de facto president, was allegedly responsible for the secret [...]

Mehmet Tohti : "A recent report released by Human Rights Watch over the inadequacy and unfairness of the trials of Urumqi protestors has brought our memory back to the July 5 massacre committed by the Chinese military and government backed Han Chinese mobsters. Mass arrests and manhunts started as early as the evening of July [...]

Twin suicide bombings in Baghdad Sunday targeted the ministry of justice and the headquarters of the local provincial government ahead of an attempt this week by the Iraqi parliament to resolve a political stalemate that would permit changes to the country's election law. The blasts destroyed the front of the ministry building and killed at [...]

Amnesty International USA, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch on Friday turned down an opportunity to tour the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay , citing lack of access to detainees. The groups regularly send observers to the facility who have the same level of access as journalists, but have long been [...]

US President Barack Obama's Saturday emergency declaration on the H1N1 flu has granted Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius authority under section 1135 of the Social Security Act to allow medical providers to bypass federal regulations when it comes to treating large numbers of infected people. Hospitals and other facilities will [...]

Declaration of a National Emergency with respect to the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic, White House, October 24, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here.

An Argentinian court Friday sentenced retired general Jorge Olivera Rovere and retired colonel Jose Menendez to life sentences for crimes committed during the Argentine military dictatorship, commonly referred to as the "Dirty War" . Rovere, who had authority over several detention centers during the dictatorship, was found guilty of four murders and responsible for 116 [...]