Lawyers for detained Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari have been informed that she will be released from custody once $320,000 in bail has been paid, an anonymous source from the Iranian judiciary said Tuesday. Though one of Esfandiari's lawyers told Reuters that he has not yet been informed that Esfandiari has been granted bail, the source [...]

The Federal Court of Australia ruled Tuesday that Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Kevin Andrews improperly revoked the work visa of Mohammad Haneef , who was detained by Australian authorities last month in connection with the attempted UK car bomb terror attacks . Andrews revoked Haneef's work visa and placed him under "immigration detention" shortly [...]

Haneef v. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Federal Court of Australia, August 21, 2007 . Read the text of the decision. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Fifteen former Iraqi officials went on trial Tuesday for crimes against humanity for their role in attacks against the Iraqi civilian population following the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The defendants – including Saddam Hussein's cousin and former Iraqi defense minister Ali Hassan al-Majid , Hussein's personal secretary and bodyguard Abed Hameed Hmoud, former defense minister [...]

US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Monday threatened to hold top members of the Bush administration in contempt if they continue to refuse to turn over subpoenaed information about the warrantless domestic surveillance program . The Senate Judiciary Committee issued formal subpoenas for the surveillance documents on June 27, setting an initial [...]

The Election Commission of Thailand on Monday certified the results of Sunday's constitutional referendum , reporting that 56.69 percent of voters approved the draft constitution put forth by the country's military-backed interim government. Although the measure passed, experts predict that the sizable vote against the constitution – 41.37 percent voted "no" – means that the [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday temporarily blocked organic grocer Whole Foods Market from taking over rival Wild Oats Markets , saying that it needed more time to consider the proposed acquisition. The court stressed that its move should not be construed as a ruling on the merits, [...]

The interim government of Bangladesh has completed all formalities necessary to separate the country's judiciary from its executive branch, meeting a deadline set by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh last month, according to Monday media reports. Mainul Hosein, law adviser in the interim government, said that the Bangladeshi Supreme Court will now set a date [...]

The Turkish parliament failed to elect a president Monday, with the leading candidate receiving only 341 votes. Current Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was 26 votes shy of the number necessary to win the seat; the Turkish president is elected by a two-thirds majority of parliamentarians in the first round of voting. The main opposition [...]

Ugandan Minister of Internal Affairs Ruhakana Rugunda told the BBC Monday that Uganda has begun the process of consulting with victims to determine the best way to hold accountable those responsible for atrocities committed during Uganda's civil war . Rugunda said that the government is considering establishing a war crimes court or local courts reflecting [...]