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UN human rights official urges greater efforts to eliminate torture in Tajikistan

By Saheli Chakrabarty | Published May 20, 2012
[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Mendez [official profile; press release] concluded his nine-day visit to the Republic of Tajikistan [BBC profile] on Friday, stating that he was pleased with the country's recent modifications designed to aid in eradicating torture, but that mistreatment of suspects remains the norm. Mendez is especially encouraged by the recent introduction of a new criminal provision that defines torture and provides penalties for it. He does believe, however, that "a relatively low penalty does not offer a strong disincentive to commit torture." Mendez urged the total elimination of pressure tactics on detainees to...
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Lockerbie bomber dies at home in Libya

By Saheli Chakrabarty | Published May 20, 2012
[JURIST] Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi [BBC News profile] died in Libya on Sunday after losing his battle with cancer. His brother reported that Megrahi, 60, died in his home in Tripoli [BBC report] after his health deteriorated rapidly due to his condition. Megrahi was a former Libyan intelligence officer and the only person convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 [BBC News backgrounder] over the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988. Megrahi and another Libyan were indicted in Scottish and US courts in 1991, but Libya refused to extradite them until an agreement was reached...
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US trade commission finds Motorola phones infringe on Microsoft patent

By Rebecca DiLeonardo | Published May 20, 2012
[JURIST] The US International Trade Commission (ITC) [official website] on Friday concluded its investigation [notice, PDF] into a complaint that a number of Motorola mobile phones infringed on several Microsoft [corporate websites] patents. The decision affirmed the ruling of an administrative law judge in December that Microsoft had proven by a preponderance of the evidence that Motorola had in fact violated one of the several patents allegedly infringed. The ITC order requires Motorola to stop importing and selling certain models of mobile phones and to pay to Microsoft "a reasonable royalty rate in the amount of $0.33 per device" already...
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Israel parliament rejects civil marriage bill

By Rebecca DiLeonardo | Published May 20, 2012
[JURIST] The Israeli Knesset [official website] Wednesday rejected a bill that would have legalized civil marriages in the country. The "Freedom of Choice in Marriage" bill was proposed to allow marriages not approved by Jewish Law [Jerusalem Post report], including same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder] and marriages between a Jewish person and a gentile. Currently marriages in Israel are only conducted in religious institutions, and the bill would have allowed the creation of civil marriages not recognized by the Chief Rabbinate. Knesset Member Nitzan Horowitz [official profile] submitted the bill [Shalom Life report] to the Knesset earlier this month. He had...
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Malawi president vows to decriminalize homosexuality

By Matthew Pomy | Published May 19, 2012
[JURIST] Malawi [BBC backgrounder] President Joyce Banda announced in her first national address [text] on Friday that she will decriminalize homosexual acts. The provisions she intends to repeal are Section 153 and 156 [ILGA backgrounder, PDF] of the Penal Code, which provide 14 years or 5 years imprisonment, respectively, for anyone engaging in male homosexual activity or relationships. Lesbianism is not criminalized in Malawi. The laws have been widely criticized by the international community. The announcement comes as a move to normalize relations with Malawi's development partners in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration's [official...
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Federal court upholds key provision of the Voting Rights Act

By Matthew Pomy | Published May 19, 2012
[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia [official website] decided [text, PDF] to uphold Section 5 [DOJ backgrounder] of the Voting Rights Act [text] Friday, affirming the ruling of the district court below [JURIST report]. Section 5 requires covered jurisdictions to clear changes in voting districts, polling places and other electoral processes with the Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] or federal courts. It relies heavily on patterns of past discrimination to determine which state, county and local governments must obtain pre-clearance for election changes. According to the DOJ [list of jurisdictions], nine states and many...
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Maryland high court grants same-sex divorce

By Jaclyn Belczyk | Published May 18, 2012
[JURIST] The Maryland Court of Appeals [official website], the state's highest court, ruled [opinion, PDF] Friday that a lesbian couple legally married in California can get a divorce in Maryland. Even though Maryland does not currently allow same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder], the court ruled 7-0 that valid same-sex marriages performed out-of-state should be recognized for purposes of divorce. The court concluded:Under the principles of the doctrine of comity applied in our State, Maryland courts will withhold recognition of a valid foreign marriage only if that marriage is "repugnant" to State public policy. This threshold, a high bar, has not been...
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Mississippi governor signs voter ID bill

By Jaclyn Belczyk | Published May 18, 2012
[JURIST] Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant [official website] on Thursday signed [press release] legislation [HB 921 materials] that would require voters to show photo identification at all elections. The bill enacts a constitutional amendment that was approved by 62 percent of Mississippi voters [JURIST report] in the November election. Upon signing, Bryant said:This legislation is about protecting the integrity of Mississippi's elections. ... This legislation is a direct result of the majority of Mississippians expressing their desire for a constitutional voter ID requirement in the state. We want everyone to participate in the election process, and we want that process to...
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US House panel votes to cut off aid to countries hosting Sudan president

By Jaclyn Belczyk | Published May 18, 2012
[JURIST] The US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee [official website] approved legislation [press release] Thursday that would suspend foreign aid to countries that host Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir [ICC materials; JURIST news archive] who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on genocide and war crimes charges. The provision is part of the Fiscal Year 2013 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which must be voted on by the full House of Representatives and then reconciled with a separate Senate version. The amendment, passed by voice vote, was backed by Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) [official website], who...
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Brazil freedom of information law takes effect

By Jaclyn Belczyk | Published May 18, 2012
[JURIST] The Brazilian Access to Information Act took effect Wednesday, increasing government transparency. The law will allow citizens to seek access to information that has previously been shrouded in secrecy despite a constitutional provision [Article 5, XXXIII text] requiring public access to information. Speaking at a ceremony Wednesday to mark the swearing in of a truth commission [JURIST report] that will investigate human rights abuses under the country's military dictatorship, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff [official profile, in Portuguese] said [statement, in Portuguese] that, "the new law represents a major institutional improvement to Brazil, expression of the transparency of the State,...
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