As of 1 January 2010 the offence of blasphemy (Defamation Act 2009) has come into force in Ireland. In fact this is not a “new” offence as blasphemy was a common law offence under the Irish Constitution and the Defamation Act of 1961 also made it a statutory crime, but did not define what blasphemy was. [...]
“New Castro, Same Cuba” is the title of the new report of Human Rights Watch published on 18 November. The 123 page report examines the legal foundation of repression in Cuba, due process violations, political prisoners, inhumane prisons and everyday forms of repression.
At the outset the report notes the lack of co-operation of the Cuban [...]
Last night a majority of Swiss voters (57%) voted to ban the building of minarets on new mosques. This has been described as a “surprise” result and the Swiss government has since issued a statement saying that although it respected the outcome it was “regretted”.
The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People’s Party, [...]
A panel of prominent judges and lawyers, established by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) issued its report: “Assessing Damage, Urging Action” (available HERE), calling for urgent steps to restore human rights in efforts to counter terrorism.
The report, based on sixteen hearings covering more than forty countries in all regions of the world, presents findings [...]
A top Spanish judge has pulled out of investigations into the fate of more than 100,000 people who vanished during the civil war and Franco dictatorship. Justice officials say Baltasar Garzon complied with demands that inquiries should be handled by courts in the regions where crimes were committed.
Judge Garzon announced last month [...]