A new law criminalizing the incitement of religious hatred came into effect makes intentionally stirring up hatred against people on religious grounds punishable by a jail sentence of up to seven years. Previously, certain religious groups also deemed to be ethnic designations, such as Jews and Sikhs, received protection under laws against racial hatred; groups [...]

A Chinese dissident writer has been formally arrested in Hangzhou on charges of "inciting subversion of power," advocacy group Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Sunday. Lu Gengsong was initially detained on August 24 on suspicion of subverting state power and illegal possession of state secrets but the second charge was dropped. Human Rights in China [...]

Eight more detainees have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay , the US Defense Department said Sunday. According to the DOD announcement, six detainees were transferred to Afghanistan, one was transferred to Libya and one to Yemen. The names of the eight men were not released nor was the reason for their detention. A Yemeni newspaper [...]

The US Supreme Court begins its fall term Monday with oral arguments in cases concerning the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act and the state of Washington's primary election system. Among the high-profile cases the Court will consider during October Term 2007 is Boumediene v. Bush , consolidated with Al Odah v. United States, where [...]

Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday ordered three Islamabad law enforcement officials to be suspended over Saturday's crackdown on lawyers and journalists protesting the reelection bid of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) . Interior Secretary Kamal Shah quickly responded to Chaudhry's [...]

Unofficial results of Constituent Assembly elections in Ecuador on Sunday give the ruling coalition led by President Rafael Correa a landslide victory. Though Correa claimed an immediate victory, opposition leader Gilmar Gutierrez said he will refuse to accept a leftist victory until the Supreme Electoral Tribunal certifies the results in a few weeks. Initial results [...]

Bangladeshi property tycoon Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his family were convicted in absentia by Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission of evading taxes amounting to $1.2 million and sentenced to five years in jail Sunday. Sobhan, chairman of property conglomerate Bashundara Group , left Bangladesh when the government listed him as one of the country's 50 most corrupt [...]

A US military judge postponed an Article 32 hearing on US Army sniper Sgt. Evan Vela Sunday, following a fellow Army sniper's acquittal on premeditated murder charges . Vela, who has argued that he was simply following orders to "bait" and kill suspected Iraqi insurgents with materials that could be used to aid the insurgency, [...]

Myanmar opposition leader and democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi was briefly released from house arrest Sunday to met with visiting UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, but Gambari was not allowed to meet with top junta leaders Senior General Than Shwe or Deputy Senior General Maung Aye in his efforts to halt rising [...]

Pakistani riot police clashed with lawyers demonstrating outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Saturday, as hundreds protested a high court ruling allowing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to run for another term as president while still serving as chief of the Pakistani army. A former vice-president of the Supreme [...]