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Friday, September 23, 2016

JURIST Daily Digest - 23 September 2016

JURIST Daily Digest

 In the 23 September 2016 edition:

Today's Legal News
Latest Legal Commentary:
Today's Legal News


EU top court advisor: remove Hamas and Tamil Tigers from terror list
By Gwenyth Gamble on Sep 22, 2016 02:38 pm
European Court of Justice (ECJ) [official website] Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston [official profile] released two opinions Thursday arguing that Hamas and the Tamil Tigers [opinions] should be removed from the EU's Terror List [official website]. The opinions reason that because the organizations' governments followed the wrong procedures when including the two groups the court should reevaluate their place on the list. If the Advocate General's recommendation is heeded by the ECJ, the organizations will be removed from the Terror List...   +read more


Afghanistan war crimes investigation unit receives 600 complaints against UK soldiers
By Ashley Hogan on Sep 22, 2016 02:32 pm
A policing unit in Afghanistan set up to investigate alleged war crimes committed by UK soldiers stationed in the war-torn country reportedly received [BBC report] around 600 complaints of ill treatment and abuse occurring between 2005 and 2013. Members of the Royal Military Police [official website] are investigating the allegations, and UK Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed her concern [Daily Express report] that the allegations may be false claims against soldiers. A UK Ministry of Defence [official website] spokesperson...   +read more


Kashmir authorities re-arrest human rights activist
By Gwenyth Gamble on Sep 22, 2016 02:23 pm
Authorities in Kashmir re-arrested a human rights advocate on Wednesday night under color of a controversial security law, the Public Safety Act, which allows the detention of suspects for up to six months without a trial. The arrest came almost immediately after a court had ordered him released from police custody [AI report]. Khurram Parvez had been in administrative detention since September 16 for allegedly posing an imminent threat of "breach of peace," and a court had ordered his release...   +read more


Afghanistan government signs peace agreement with insurgent group
By Ashley Hogan on Sep 22, 2016 01:56 pm
The Afghanistan government signed a peace agreement on Thursday with insurgent group Hezb-i Islami, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The US Embassy applauded [press release] the peace accord as an important step towards ending violence and protecting constitutional rights in the country. The peace negotiations focused on Hezb-i Islami renouncing ties to extremist groups and acts of terrorism in exchange for immunity for acts committed during the war and the removal of Hekmatyar's name and that of his faction from terrorism...   +read more


China human rights lawyer sentenced to 12 years
By Miracle Jones on Sep 22, 2016 01:28 pm
Noted human rights lawyer Xia Lin was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Chinese court on Thursday. Xia, who famously represented many Chinese dissidents including artist Ai Weiwei, was arrested and accused of fraudulently obtaining [JURIST report] more than a million dollars to take care of gambling debts. He was convicted [QZ report] of obtaining less then half of the amount. Many accused [ChinaChange report] the court of handing down an abnormally harsh sentence to prevent other lawyers...   +read more


UN rights experts: governments must protect children from toxins and pollution
By Brittany Felder on Sep 22, 2016 11:54 am
[JURIST] The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes Baskut Tuncak [official profile] on Wednesday urged [press release] the international community to help end the "silent pandemic" of childhood disease and disability..." caused by exposure to toxins and waste. Stating that children were the "most vulnerable to toxics and pollution," and that they are "impacted in ways in which adults [are] not," Tuncak said that states and businesses had an "obligation" to protect children from these...   +read more


Brazil ex-president to be tried on corruption charges
By Justin Cosgrove on Sep 22, 2016 10:27 am
A Brazilian judge on Tuesday accepted charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva [BBC profile] after the Petrobas Oil Scandal [NYT report]. Judge Sergio Moro allowed charges that include complaints that da Silva illegally received almost USD $1.1 million in improvements and expenses from a construction company for a beachfront apartment. In return, it is reported, da Silva secured lucrative contracts from Petrobas for the construction company. Corruption charges were filed [NYT report] against da Silva in March...   +read more


Germany court: Volkswagen facing over $8 billion in claims
By Justin Cosgrove on Sep 22, 2016 09:28 am
A German court said [press release, in German] Wednesday that Volkswagen (VW) [corporate website] faces over USD $8.2 billion in damage claims from investors over its emissions scandal. Roughly 1,400 lawsuits have been filed [Fortune report] at the Braunschweig court near VW's Wolfsburg headquarters. Plaintiffs allege [AP report] that VW did not inform shareholders quickly enough of the impending scandal. The biggest single claim was filed for over €3.3 billion on behalf of institutional investors. The court is still processing...   +read more


SEC sues hedge fund billionaire for insider trading in energy deal
By Matthew Santiago on Sep 22, 2016 08:42 am
[JURIST] The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [official website] on Wednesday filed a civil suit [complaint, PDF] in federal district court against Leon Cooperman [Forbes backgrounder], billionaire and head of major hedge fund firm Omega Advisors [corporate website]. Cooperman is a major shareholder in Atlas Pipeline Partners [corporate website] and was allegedly informed [NYT report] in 2010 that the company was selling off one of its operating facilities. According to SEC regulators, Cooperman took advantage of this insider information and...   +read more


EU court finds UK power plant in violation of emissions limit
By Matthew Santiago on Sep 22, 2016 07:44 am
[JURIST] The European Court of Justice (ECJ) [official website] ruled [judgment] Wednesday that a power plant in Wales has violated the EU's limit on nitrogen oxide emissions. The Aberthaw plant [official website] has operated [Reuters report] for 45 years and primarily uses Welsh coal as its fuel source. In 2008 the EU forced member states to reduce their emissions to meet new environmental standards. Though Britain argued that the plant's use of Welsh coal should allow for a greater emissions...   +read more



Latest Legal Commentary


Proposition 62 Appeals to the Better Angels of Our Nature
By Stephen Cooper on Sep 20, 2016 02:18 pm
JURIST Guest Columnist Stephen Cooper discusses Proposition 62... +read more


Brazil’s President Impeached: Could It Happen Here?
By Joseph Marren on Sep 05, 2016 09:05 pm
JURIST Guest Columnist Joseph H. Marren discusses the impeachment of Brazil's President... +read more


Land as the Center of Social and Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia
By Henok G. Gabisa on Aug 30, 2016 01:49 am
JURIST Guest Columnist Henok G. Gabisa of the Bekele Gerba et al International Legal Defense Project discusses the motivation behind Olympic marathoner Feyisa Lilesa's arm-crossed protest at the finish line at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil... +read more


Protecting Abortion Rights after Whole Woman’s Health
By Maya Manian on Aug 19, 2016 09:50 am
JURIST Guest Columnist Maya Manian of the University of San Francisco School of Law discusses the history of abortion laws, and how Whole Woman's Health has impacted women's constitutional right to access abortion care... +read more


American Bar Association Attacks Attorney Speech Rights
By Brad Abramson on Aug 17, 2016 09:08 pm
JURIST Guest Columnist Brad Abramson discusses the new ABA amendment... +read more
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