Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced the formation of a task force to respond to the Goldstone Report , which accused both Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas fighters of war crimes during last winter's Operation Cast Lead . The task force will be led by Justice Minister Ya'akov Ne'eman. The Israeli government [...]

A prominent opposition leader and human rights activist in Russia's southern province of Ingushetia , Maksharip Aushev, was reportedly shot dead Sunday while traveling on a highway in the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria. According to Russian media, the unidentified gunmen fired more than 60 shots at Aushev's vehicle, killing him and wounding a female [...]

Mark Kleiman : "The Justice Department will not pursue people using or selling cannabis in compliance with state "medical marijuana" laws, even though those activities remain forbidden by the Controlled Substances Act. That policy ends more than a decade of federal efforts to overturn state efforts to make cannabis available to patients. In effect, the [...]

Uruguayan voters on Sunday rejected an initiative to end the country's Expiry Law , which grants amnesty to military officials accused of human rights violations during the country’s 1973-1985 dictatorship. With approximately 48 percent voting in support, the referendum to overturn the law fell short of the required 50 percent majority to nullify. Amnesty International [...]

The Supreme Court of Hawaii announced Friday that state courts will be closed two Fridays each month beginning in November 2009. Chief Justice Ronald Moon found that the difficult decision was necessary due to the financial conditions that currently exist in Hawaii. Moon ordered: In consideration of (1) the economic circumstance of the State of [...]

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 [...]