Recent Updates
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Madrid train bombings suspects on hunger strike
Legal World 05/17/2007Nine defendants in the 2004 Madrid train bombings trial indicated in court Wednesday that they have begun a hunger strike, joining four other defendants who initiated the hunger strike last Thursday. The thirteen defendants are among eighteen who rem...
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Ukraine Constitutional Court to review judge dismissals
Legal World 05/17/2007Members of the Ukranian Parliament have requested that the Ukrainian Constitutional Court rule on the legality of President Viktor Yushchenko's dismissal of three judges from its bench, according to the court's information office Tuesday. The request...
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Iraqi Gov overwhelmed by additional detainees
Legal World 05/16/2007Security plans implemented since February by the Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) have contributed to overcrowding in Iraqi prisons, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. A UN report released in April estimated 20,000 detainees were held in Iraq-r...
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Somalia to cooperate with UN rights investigation
Legal World 05/15/2007The transitional government of Somalia has agreed to cooperate with a UN probe into alleged human rights violations that occurred during recent fighting in the country's capital, according to UN emergency relief co-ordinator John Holmes Monday. Despi...
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Philippines elections proceed amidst fraud allegations
Legal World 05/15/2007Elections held in the Philippines to elect members of the Philippines Senate and House of Representatives proceeded Monday despite reports of violence and allegations of fraud. Government authorities attributed the death of 116 people, including 11 c...
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Italy families rally against rights for unmarried couples
Legal World 05/13/2007Over 250,000 people gathered in Rome Saturday to protest a bill currently before parliament which would give legal status to unmarried heterosexual and same-sex couples. The bill was approved by Italy's cabinet in February, but has been harshly criti...
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German court rejects appeal by jailed 9/11 helper
Legal World 05/12/2007Germany's highest court of appeal rejected a legal challenge by a Moroccan friend of the September 11, 2001 hijackers against a 15-year jail sentence for being an accessory to mass murder.The Federal Court of Justice said on Friday it had thrown out ...
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S.Korean tycoon arrested, taken to jail
Legal World 05/12/2007A South Korean business tycoon was behind bars Saturday after his arrest for allegedly beating up bar workers in retaliation for an attack on his 22-year old son.Police planned to question Hanwha Group chairman and CEO Kim Seung-youn, who is suspecte...
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'Chemical Ali' denies Anfal chemical weapons use
Legal World 05/11/2007Ali Hassan al-Majid, known in the Western media as "Chemical Ali", told the Iraqi High Tribunal Thursday that he did not use or issue an order to use chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels in the late 1980s. During defense closing arguments, al-Maji...
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China says US religious freedom report skewed
Legal World 05/09/2007Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday that a report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom that accused China of imprisoning and torturing people based on their religion was ignorant and prejudiced. In a statem...
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Human rights watchdogs criticize UN rights council
Legal World 05/08/2007[##_1L|1218908614.jpg|width="100" height="125" alt=""|_##]The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)has neglected to censure countries committing gross violations of human rights, including Cuba, Saudi Arabia and China, according to a report released Monday...
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Pakistan court suspends sacked judge’s inquiry
Legal World 05/07/2007Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday suspended a judicial inquiry into misconduct charges against the country's top judge that triggered weeks of nationwide protests. The court ordered the suspension as it took up a petition from Chief Justice Iftikhar...