JURIST information 14 june 2014

UN rights chief alarmed over Iraq violence
[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] on Friday expressed alarm over reports of rights abuses in Iraq [press release] as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) [BBC backgrounder] forces have seized control of several cities. Pillay is concerned by reports of extrajudicial killings and summary executions, as well as the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. She reminded parties of their obligation under international law to treat humanely those who surrender and... [more].
Posted by Jaclyn Belczyk on Jun 13, 2014 03:45 pm

Central African Republic president requests ICC investigation
[JURIST] Central African Republic (CAR) President Catherine Samba-Panza has requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] investigate crimes committed within ICC jurisdiction since August 21, 2012. ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda [official profile] issued a statement [text] Thursday describing the context of the referral to the ICC and mentioning that all of the crimes that have been committed in the CAR have been documented by her office and "will not go unpunished." Bensouda said:Since 7 February 2014, the situation... [more].
Posted by William Hibbitts on Jun 13, 2014 03:36 pm

ICC confirms charges against former Ivory Coast president
[JURIST] The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on Thursday confirmed charges [decision, PDF; press release] against former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], referring him for trial. Gbagbo faces four charges of crimes against humanity including murder, rape and persecution. After reviewing evidence, including statements from more than 100 witnesses and 22,000 pages of documents, the pre-trial chamber concluded that there is sufficient evidence to support Gbagbo's criminal responsibility for violence following his 2010 election... [more].
Posted by Jaclyn Belczyk on Jun 13, 2014 03:14 pm

Report: West African governments should decriminalize drug use
[JURIST] West African governments should decriminalize drug use and treat it as a public health issue, according to a report [text, PDF] published Thursday by the West Africa Commission on Drugs [advocacy website]. The report also recommends that governments try to confront corruption so that traffickers cannot exploit corrupt officials. The report, commissioned by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, states, "[w]e believe that the consumption and possession for personal use of drugs should not be criminalised. Experience shows that criminalisation... [more].
Posted by William Hibbitts on Jun 13, 2014 11:59 am

Louisiana governor signs abortion restrictions into law
[JURIST] Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal [official website] on Thursday signed into law [press release] two bills dealing with abortion. HB 388 [materials] requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Opponents claim that this law will force three of the state's five abortion clinics to close [Reuters report]. HB 305 [materials] bars abortion providers from instructing or distributing materials in state-funded schools. Upon signing the bills, Jindal said, "I am proud to sign these bills... [more].
Posted by Jaclyn Belczyk on Jun 13, 2014 11:51 am

UK appeals court allows partial secrecy in terrorism trial
[JURIST] The criminal division of the UK Court of Appeal [official website] on Thursday declared [order, PDF] that some coverage of the trial of two terrorism suspects from London will be held in open court, but core aspects of the trial will remain confidential. The case is Guardian News and Media Ltd v AB CD [materials] and it is on appeal from a May 19 judgment which determined the trial would be held In camera, or entirely in private. The... [more].
Posted by Bradley McAllister on Jun 13, 2014 10:43 am

Italy high court to review law on transgender marriage rights
[JURIST] Italy's Constitutional court [official website, in Italian] ruled [judgment, in Italian] Wednesday that an Italian law that annuls a marriage once a partner undergoes a sex change operation is against the national interest because the couple may desire to stay together. Wednesday's ruling overturns a judgment from a lower court in Bologna in the case of 43-year-old Alessandra Bernaroli [Ansa News report], who underwent surgery in 2009 to become a female, four years after getting married as a man.... [more].
Posted by Bradley McAllister on Jun 13, 2014 09:09 am