(By Boris Dittrich) The day after International Human Rights Day, India’s Supreme Court published its ruling on whether the country’s sodomy law, which had been overturned by the Delhi High Court and then appealed, was unconstitutional. I’ve been a lawyer, a judge and a member of parliament in the Netherlands and each of those roles […]
Syrian Refugees’ Misery deepened by Snow Storm as Europe Shuts Doors
World Bulletin writes: “… the worst of winter is yet to come for 2.2 million refugees living outside Syria and millions more displaced inside the country. A storm named Alexa is sweeping across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures – and marking the beginning of the third winter since the […]
A Government of the Billionaires, for the Billionaires, by the Billionaires
(By Bill Moyers) I met Supreme Court Justice William Brennan in 1987 when I was creating a series for public television called In Search of the Constitution, celebrating the bicentennial of our founding document. By then, he had served on the court longer than any of his colleagues and had written close to 500 majority […]
Egypt: Harsh Sentences Commuted but Case a Dangerous Message for Protesters
By Human Rights Watch Update: December 7, 2013 The Sidi Gaber Minor Offenses Court on December 7 commuted the sentences for the 21 female Brotherhood protestors. The 14 young women received a 1 year suspended sentence, while the 7 girls were ordered to be released subject to the three months of probation. (New York) – […]
Are British Spies Complicit in US Drone Strikes? Court of Appeals Takes Case
by Jack Serle An unprecedented attempt to discover if British officials are complicit in the CIA drone campaign in Pakistan reached the Court of Appeal this week. The case is brought by Noor Khan, a Pakistani tribesman whose father was among over 40 civilians killed in a March 2011 drone strike. Khan’s lawyers are attempting […]
Crystal Night Must not be Repeated versus other European Minorities
By Anne-Ruth Wertheim, Amsterdam Crystal Night took place on the night between 9 and 10 November 1938. Across the whole of Nazi Germany and parts of Austria, a pogrom was held against Jews. Jewish synagogues, shops, homes and businesses were ransacked which led to the atrocity becoming known as Chrystal Night after the shards of […]
Does Turkey’s PM Erdogan have a GOP-Style “Woman Problem”?
By Macidegül Batmaz We know that women have always been an easy target for politicians around the world. But there is no other country like Erdogan’s “New Turkey” where the political agenda is constantly shaped by discussions around the female body. Fort the last 11 years, it has been a common practice for the Prime […]