In Argentina, the case of a 15-year old girl who was raped by her stepfather drew nationwide attention after she and her doctor were held criminally responsible for terminating the resulting pregnancy. The central issue in the case was the…
New National Defense Authorization Act Authorizes Indefinite Detention of U.S. Citizens
March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On October 26, 2001 President Bush enacted the Patriot Act authorizing indefinite detention of non-U.S. citizens; allowing suspected terrorists to be detained without trial until the War on Terrorism ended. On January 11, 2002, the first group of…
Saleh’s Amnesty: Providing Peace or Preventing Remedy?
March 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On January 21, 2012, the Yemeni parliament passed a law granting President Ali Saleh immunity for all “politically motivated” crimes against the people of Yemen. This statement of immunity formed the substantive part of a Gulf Cooperation Council…
Exchanging Reproductive Justice for a Food Processor: Incentivized Sterilization in Rajasthan, India
March 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In the summer of 2011, India’s National Population Stabilization Fund (Fund) instituted a new scheme in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, a rural town west of New Delhi, offering incentives for area residents who agreed to undergo sterilization surgery. Government health officials created…
Abuse of Somali Refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia
March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Since 2010, escalating conflict in southern Somalia between forces allied with the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Islamist armed group al-Shabaab has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and numerous human rights abuses specifically against the refugee population.…
Election Fraud Protests in Russia
March 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
For a brief moment in January and February 2012, it looked as if the Russian government had decidedly altered its public policy against opposition protests and public demonstrations. The Russian government allowed two successful, peaceful demonstrations to occur on December…
One Strike, You’re Out: Egypt’s Expanded Emergency Law Poses a Risk to the Right to Collective Bargaining
February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In early September 2011, Egypt’s provisional government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), expanded the country’s emergency law to its widest scope since the provisional government took power. The SCAF claimed the expansion of the emergency law was…
Page Not Found: The Tunisian Internet Agency’s Appeal to Eliminate Censorship
February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On August 15, 2011, a Tunisian appellate court upheld a May 2011 order requiring the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) to censor Internet access for all Tunisians. The ATI intends to appeal the decision to the Tunisian Court of…
The Situation of Women and Girls in Haiti Exemplifies the Difficulties of Post-Natural Disaster Protection of Human Rights
February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Almost two years after a catastrophic earthquake devastated Haiti, killing more than 220,000 people and leaving more than a million people displaced, over 600,000 people still remain in makeshift tent cities, displaced within their own country. Disasters such as this…
Recent Legal Reforms in Burma Give Hope for Lasting Democratic Change
February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Since President Thein Sein assumed power in March 2011, Burma’s nominally civilian government has instituted a number of legal reforms drawing the attention of the United Nations (UN) and many Western democracies. Observing members of the international community are considering…
