The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has ruled that Serbian war crimes suspect Vojislav Seselj can act as his own lawyer in his upcoming trial. An ICTY trial chamber removed Seselj's right to self-representation in August based on his "disruptive behavior," but the appeals court reversed the lower court [...]

The lead legal consultant for the military regime that took over the Thai government in a bloodless coup in September was elected Tuesday to serve as speaker of the National Legislative Assembly , which is tasked with creating a new permanent constitution for Thailand . Meechai Ruchupan, who also helped draft the country's interim constitution [...]

Indonesia will release two prisoners convicted of the 2002 bombings that killed over 200 people at a Bali nightclub , prison officials said Monday. The convicts will be freed Tuesday to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr , the end of Ramadan . Indonesia has a prisoner remission program for various holidays including August [...]

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended the new Military Commissions Act of 2006 Monday before an audience of senior military lawyers, insisting it gives enemy combatants detained at Guantanamo Bay "greater legal rights than are provided to lawful prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions." In a speech to the Judge Advocate General Corps leadership [...]

US District Judge Sim Lake on Monday sentenced former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling to 24 years in prison and determined that $45 million of Skilling's assets will be seized to be distributed to former Enron employees. Skilling, convicted in May on 19 counts of conspiracy, insider trading, and securities fraud, was charged with providing investors [...]

A lawyer for John W. Hinckley, Jr. argued Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia that the man who shot President Ronald Reagan and three others in 1981 should be allowed more time away from a mental institution. Late last year, US District Judge Paul Friedman , ruled that Hinckley could [...]

A court in Croatia has ordered state officials to arrest parliamentarian Branimir Glavas on suspicion of war crimes commited against Serbs, including abduction, torture and murder in the eastern city of Osijek in 1991-92 during Croatia's war of independence from the former Yugoslavia. Glavas, responsible at the time for the city's defense, is the highest [...]

The interim Thailand government installed following a military coup in September indicated Monday that it will not lift martial law until supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reduce their efforts to destabilize the political structure. Defense Minister Gen. Boonrawd Somtat said that the government would not lift martial law until "there are no political [...]

The federal bench trial of a lawsuit challenging the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA) began Monday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania . The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the suit on behalf of internet websites such as Salon.com and Nerve.com, arguing that the severe punishments outlined in [...]

A US citizen with a Canadian wife and family who was convicted of third-degree sexual abuse began serving a plea deal Monday where he must avoid the US except to meet with his parole officer. Teacher Malcolm Watson's effective exile to Canada, where he already resides, has drawn attention from immigration lawyers who question whether [...]