-
Posted: January 27th, 2012, 9:22pm MSK
[JURIST] Guatemalan Judge Carol Flores ruled Thursday that ex-dictator Rios Montt must stand trial for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The judge heard the prosecutor's initial statements Wednesday and decided Thursday that the evidence was sufficient to go to trial. Montt is being charged for crimes committed throughout the country's 36-year civil war [BBC timeline], which officially ended in 1996. Montt was a general in the military who became dictator after a coup in 1982 but lost power a year later as a result of another coup. His charges are based on 72 incidents that caused 1,771 deaths...
-
Posted: January 27th, 2012, 9:20pm MSK
[JURIST] US Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) [official website; press release] and seven other lawmakers Thursday sent a letter [text, PDF] to Google CEO Larry Page [NYT backgrounder] containing 11 questions regarding consumer privacy rights as affected by Google's new privacy policies [corporate website]. The letter states that the privacy policy and Google's consolidated data sharing system raise questions about whether consumers can opt out of the new system, either globally or on a product-by-product basis. As Co-Chairman of the Congressional Bipartisan Privacy Caucus, Markey also expressed concerns as to whether Google's new policies violate the settlement [JURIST report] reached with...
-
Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:51pm MSK
[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] Thursday reported the recent deaths of several Libyan detainees who were apparently tortured while in custody [press release]. The deaths come amid allegations of widespread torture and ill-treatment of detainees accused of being pro-Gaddafi loyalists and fighters during the Libyan conflict [JURIST backgrounder] last year. AI conducted extensive interviews with detainees in and around Tripoli, Misrarah and Gheryan, many of whom showed visible marks indicative of torture, and whose accounts of maltreatment are consistent with their patterns of injury. AI reports that both official military and security entities as well as the multitude of...
-
Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:39pm MSK
[JURIST] Brazil prosecutors plan to file criminal charges, in addition to the $11 billion civil suit, against Chevron [corporate website] officials for the 2,400 barrel oil spill [Global Voices backgrounder] off the coast of Brazil in the Campos Basin in November. Brazilian officials state that Chevron acted irresponsibly [Reuters report] and took substantial risks in the Frade oil field in the Campos Basin. Up to 12 Chevron officials are expected to be indicted. In contrast, British Petroleum (BP) [corporate website] agreed to set aside $20 billion [JURIST report] for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], which...