A US Army soldier pleaded guilty Thursday to accessory to murder in connection with the killings of four unarmed Iraqi prisoners west of Baghdad last year. Specialist Steven Ribordy, formerly a member of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry , testified at his court-martial that he stood at his post and watched as other members of [...]

The trial of former Yugoslav army chief of staff and general Momcilo Perisic began Thursday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague. The trial was scheduled to commence Wednesday but was postponed due to a procedural glitch in the naming of judges; it was restarted after the court received [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Wednesday called on the Ethiopian government to release rendition victims in custody or prosecute them in an open court that meets basic fair trial standards. The renditions were the result of a US-backed Ethiopian military intervention in neighboring Somalia in late 2006 in support of efforts by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government [...]

Former Polish leader General Wojciech Jaruzelski testified Thursday at the resumption of his trial that he had no choice but to impose martial law on Poland in 1981. Jaruzelski, who is charged with "organizing crimes of a military nature," among other offenses, read from a 200-page statement : I constantly state that martial law saved [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear 10 cases , including two implicating the land rights of Native peoples, during its term that begins next week. In Hawaii, et al. v. Office of Hawaiian Affairs, et al. (07-1372) , the court will consider whether a congressional resolution acknowledging the 100th anniversary of the [...]

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) last Friday ended the segregation of five defendants currently in pretrial detention. The decision, released to the public on Wednesday, was a response to an appeal filed by defendant Nuon Chea , who argued that the prison conditions were too restrictive. In May 2008, the Pre-Trial [...]

The US Senate voted Wednesday to approve legislation establishing a cooperative nuclear energy agreement with India. The bill, entitled the "United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act," was approved by a vote of 86-13 , and now heads to the White House for signature. The agreement is an important step for India, and [...]

The annual UN Treaty Event , celebrated yearly to promote universal participation in international treaties and agreements, concluded Wednesday after a number of states signed and ratified various treaties and conventions. This year's event, entitled "Treaty Event 2008: Towards Universal Participation And Implementation – Dignity And Justice For All Of Us," celebrates the sixtieth anniversary [...]

Rob Boston : "Several of the pastors who took part in the so-called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" have been arguing that they have a free speech and freedom of religion right to endorse or oppose candidates from the pulpit. They do – but only if they give up their tax exemption first. Tax exemption is a [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Wednesday ruled that the United States Postal Service (USPS) was entitled to immunity in a lawsuit alleging that a postal employee had interfered with the delivery of a political opponent's campaign fliers ahead of a municipal election. The court held that such conduct was covered [...]