Illinois lawmakers presented legislation Friday that could end the current state moratorium on executions. House Bill 2704 calls for "guilt beyond any doubt" to replace the current penalty phase standard in capital cases of "guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." Jurors would still find guilt or innocence under the reasonable doubt standard, but a death sentence [...]

A Yemeni appeals court Saturday upheld a death sentence against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri , a Saudi militant suspected of being a close associate of Osama Bin Laden. Nashiri and fellow militant Jamal al-Badawi had received death penalties for their role in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole , but Badawi's sentence was later reduced [...]

Struggling Russian oil company Yukos has asked that a US court reconsider its bid for bankruptcy protection. Yukos sought a new trial late Friday after Judge Leticia Clark Thursday dismissed the company's initial bid to declare bankruptcy. The retrial motion relies on a section of the bankruptcy code that is governed by a standard of [...]

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon , widely known for his high-profile investigations of terror and human rights cases, has urged an investigation into the crimes of former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco . Garzon, who has attempted to try former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet and al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, among others, has called for [...]

In an unexpected move Saturday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered a change in the country's election laws to allow multiple candidates to run in presidential elections. The change would allow for the first multi-candidate election in Egypt since the 1952 revolution. The announcement comes in the wake of increased demands from opposition leaders that Mubarak [...]

Financial Costs and Loss of Critical Skills Due to DOD's Homosexual Conduct Policy Cannot be Completely Estimated, Government Accountability Office , February 23, 2005 . Excerpt: The total costs of DOD's homosexual conduct policy cannot be estimated because DOD does not collect relevant cost data on inquiries and investigations, counseling and pastoral care, separation functions, [...]

Ward v. Utah, United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, Chief Circuit Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, February 23, 2005 . Excerpt: While Mr. Ward remains at liberty to advocate vigorously through lawful protests for the abolishment of the fur trade, we hold that section 76-3-203.3 is not facially unconstitutional or vague. Read the [...]

Joint Committee on Human Rights — Ninth Report, UK Parliament, February 25, 2005 . Read the full text of the report here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Friday that the Sino-US Joint Liaison Group (JLG) has signed a joint agreement at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of US and Chinese delegates in Beijing. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to cooperate and offer mutual legal assistance in the areas of illegal immigration, the extradition of [...]

A military tribunal in Osnabrueck, Germany has sentenced three British soldiers involved in the May 2003 abuse of Iraqi detainees at Camp Bread Basket, outside Basra. Cpl. Daniel Kenyon was sentenced to 18 months in prison for aiding and abetting an assault and for failing to report other incidents. Lance Cpl. Mark Cooley was jailed [...]