Serbian officials Friday condemned the Thursday war crimes acquittal of former Kosovo Prime Minister and Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Ramush Haradinaj by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) . In a television interview, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica called the ruling "truly worrisome." Serbian officials said the decision could heighten tensions [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday renewed assurances that Russia was ready to resume participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) , so long as Western nations ratify the 1999 version of the treaty. Speaking at a NATO-Russia Council summit held in Romania, Putin said Russia is "ready to return to the treaty but [...]

South Korean prosecutors Friday questioned Samsung Chairman and CEO Kun-Hee Lee about allegations of corruption, including accusations that Samsung maintained a $200 million slush fund to bribe prosecutors, judges and civil servants. Former Samsung lawyer Yong-Chul Kim first raised the allegations in November 2007, but Samsung and Lee have denied that such a fund exists. [...]

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Friday called on 12 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon, to join the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as the organization prepared to hold a review conference next week. So far, 183 countries have joined the treaty, which prohibits the use or undeclared storage of [...]

Letter on the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, US Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence J.M. McConnell, April 2, 2008 . Read the full text of the letter . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Russian State Duma , the country's lower house of parliament, voted 363-8 Friday to approve new restrictions on national referendums, despite a universal walk-out by all 57 Communist Party members. Referendums are binding under Russian law, and the new restrictions effectively bar referendums on issues including the national budget, taxes and treaties. Communist party [...]

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Friday that he will restore Pakistan's constitution , ensure the supremacy of the country's parliament, and preserve judicial independence . Speaking at a news conference commemorating the death of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , the former civilian PM and founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) executed in 1979 [...]

The UN disability rights treaty will take effect on May 3, 30 days after the 20th country ratified the treaty. Ecuador became the 20th signatory of the pact Thursday after it opened for signature last March. The treaty protects the 650 million persons living with disabilities worldwide and is expected to be signed by more [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers announced in a joint statement Thursday that they have teamed up to provide experienced defense attorneys to defend seven or more specific detainees at Guantanamo Bay facing trials before a US Military Commission. The two groups are preparing an $8 million [...]

JURIST Special Guest Columnist Beenish Gaya, sister to one of the accused in the Canadian terrorism trial of members of the "Toronto 18" who supposedly planned to storm the Canadian parliament and take hostages, says that unbalanced and sensational media coverage of the case and Islam, growing Islamophobia and resulting hatred against Muslims clearly disadvantage [...]