The Supreme Court in Indonesia Wednesday ordered that courts should not imprison journalists found guilty in criminal press dispute cases, but should instead impose fines against them. Indonesian Chief Justice Bagir Manan said in a statement that punishment in press disputes "must not in anyway interfere with media activities," during a recent meeting attended by [...]

President Bush's former top procurement official was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on five felony counts, including making false statements and obstructing investigations into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The charges against David Safavian relate to an investigation by the Senate and executive branch into whether he assisted Abramoff in his attempts to take [...]

Human rights groups Amnesty International and Reprieve have sent a joint letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair , asking him to pressure the US government to consider the demands of hunger strikers at Guantanamo Bay . Over 200 detainees are still on a hunger strike, which entered its 56th day Thursday, and military officials [...]

HR 2863 Amendment No. 1977, Relating to persons under the detention, custody and control of the United States government. Presented by Senator John McCain, September 29 2005; passed by the US Senate October 5, 2005 . Read the full text of the amendment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

A Canadian judicial advisory committee has recommended that detailed court filings should not be available for viewing via the Internet, despite the fact that they are considered "public documents." The committee, comprised of judges on the Canadian Judicial Council , said that while they accept that court opinions and some case information may be found [...]

Six of the most prominent American business groups voiced their concerns over the USA PATRIOT Act to Congress Wednesday, saying the law makes it too simple for the government to obtain confidential business records. The groups wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter saying, "Confidential files — records about our customers or [...]

A committee of Japanese lawmakers met Thursday to discuss amending a pacifist clause in Japan's constitution , which has not been changed since US occupation forces wrote the document in 1947. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the country's top opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , both are in favor of amending the [...]

A lawyer for Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir , imprisoned for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings , on Thursday protested an Australian official's statements with regard to Bashir's sentence as interfering in Indonesian affairs. Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Wednesday that Australia opposed any further reduction in Bashir's 30-month sentence for conspiracy [...]

More than 20 years following the death of Roberto Calvi , the trial of five people accused of murdering him began Thursday in Italy. Calvi, known as "God's Banker" for his financial ties to the Vatican, was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in June 1982 in London. His death was originally ruled a suicide, but [...]

The trial of Saddam Hussein for the 1982 killings of 143 Shiite Muslims in the village of Dujail will likely be postponed, according to a senior British official. Earlier this week, the Iraqi Special Tribunal officially confirmed that the trial would start October 19 , but the unnamed official said Wednesday that Iraq will not [...]