The reconstituted Supreme Court of Pakistan led by Musharraf emergency appointee Abdul Hameed Dogar indicated Monday that its full bench will hear a petition later this week challenging General Pervez Musharraf's November 3 declaration of emergency rule . Pakistan's independent Geo TV reports that former provincial minister Tikka Iqbal is arguing that only the president, [...]

Pakistani lawyers began returning to work in some of the country's lower courts Monday, one week after thousands of lawyers and law students protested against President Pervez Musharraf's proclamation of emergency rule , suspension of the constitution and dismissal of the country's Supreme Court. Following a Pakistan Bar Council call Friday, the lawyers agreed to [...]

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told parliament Monday that the government was planning to release 400 more Palestinian prisoners later this month, adding to the release last month of more than 80 Palestinian prisoners. The releases are meant as a gesture of good will toward Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in preparation for a US-sponsored peace [...]

Indonesian prosecutors on Monday announced the breakdown of court-ordered settlement negotiations with lawyers representing Tommy Suharto , son of former President Haji Mohammad Suharto . Indonesian law requires that parties try mediation to resolve civil disputes before courts may proceed with a case, but prosecutors will now go ahead with court proceedings in the government's [...]

Pakistani Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said Monday that the newly-reconstituted Supreme Court of Pakistan will next week resume consideration of legal challenges to the eligibility of President Pervez Musharraf to run for re-election while remaining Army Chief of Staff. Qayyum said that newly-installed Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar will likely adjudicate the cases after [...]

The Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice is stepping up its enforcement of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act , according to a report from McClatchy Newspapers. The law, commonly known as the "Motor Voter Act," is designed to make it easier for Americans to register to vote and to maintain their [...]

The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Monday criticized procedures used by the UN Security Council and the European Union for blacklisting individuals and organizations on its terror list, adopting a draft report by parliamentarian Dick Marty that characterized the procedures as "totally arbitrary" and lacking in credibility. Marty's report said that the lists violate basic [...]

Anonymous : "Today, I went to Lahore High Court at around 12 noon. It was all deserted. Hardly any lawyers seen there. Many plain clothed policemen and other military agents were roaming around. I could not get pictures under apprehension of loosing my Motorola, but I managed to take one that I am sending. This [...]

The government of Pakistan said Monday that a Tuesday protest march planned by former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto violates the declaration of emergency announced by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and will not be allowed to take place. The protesters would have marched from the city of Lahore to the capital of Islamabad, but the [...]

Australian prosecutors dismissed a terrorist training charge against Izhar Ul-Haque Monday after the New South Wales Supreme Court found that two officials belonging to the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) had violated his rights by kidnapping and falsely imprisoning him. Judge Michael Adams found that ASIO agents coerced Ul-Haque into a vehicle, threatened him with [...]