The Constitutional Court of Gabon upheld on Monday the presidential election victory of Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba . Bongo, former minister of defence and foreign affairs and of son of long-time Gabonese president Omar Bongo , received over 40 percent of the vote, but was accused of fraud by his challengers. The court rejected the [...]

The Peruvian Catholic Bishops Conference (CEP) on Monday strongly condemned a proposed law that would legalize abortion in cases of rape or fetal deformity. The CEP's statement called the proposed legislation "arbitrary," labeling it "not just a matter of religion but of ethics, dignity, human rights and civilization." According to the CEP: So life can [...]

One of the two Afghans on the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) resigned on Monday, citing "foreign interference." The panel is tasked with investigating the allegations of fraud surrounding the disputed August presidential elections . Maulavi Mustafa Barakzai's resignation has raised doubt about the commission's work and has generated allegations that the resignation was influenced [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday granted certiorari in four cases, including the case of former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling . In Skilling v. United States , the Court will consider whether the federal honest services fraud statute requires the government to prove that the defendant's conduct was intended to achieve "private gain" rather than [...]

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George on Saturday criticized California's voter initiative process, which gives Californians the right to initiate or make new laws via the ballot box. In a speech to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences , George said the process, which effectively allows voters to bypass the legislative process, has [...]

A Pakistani court on Monday dismissed charges against Islamic cleric Hafiz Muhammad Saeed , the founder and leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an Islamic group suspected of playing a key role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks . A two-judge panel of the Lahore High Court dismissed the charges, which included using language criticizing Pakistan and [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Margaret Maffai of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies says that to prevent governments from hiring private military contractors to dodge their international human rights obligations, lawmakers in countries such as the US must ensure that no corporation or private contract employee can escape prosecution for human rights violations when they [...]

The Uruguayan Parliament on Monday unanimously approved legislation that provides rules for individuals seeking to change their gender identity. The bill, which was approved by Uruguay's Senate on Monday, had been approved by the House of Representatives last month. The legislation allows an individual to undergo a sex change at age 18, and allows the [...]

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas proposed Monday that the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reconvene to vote to endorse the findings of a report by the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict , which criticized Israel's role in last winter's Operation Cast Lead . Abbas's statement comes less than two weeks after [...]

The Chilean government will begin a non-binding consultation process on Tuesday to survey the indigenous inhabitants of Easter Island on tourism influx and immigration into the island. The consultation comes as the Chilean Supreme Court ruled last week that a measure requiring all visitors to Easter Island to fill out Special Visitor's Cards (TEV's) with [...]