-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 10:56pm MSK
[JURIST] The European Union's data protection authorities wrote a letter [text, PDF] to Google Thursday asking it to delay implementation of its new privacy policy, which is supposed to take effect March 1. The EU is concerned the privacy policy, which will combine various policies of more than 60 of its products into one, may be in violation of EU laws. Google released details of its new privacy policy [corporate website] last week, saying it will make it easier to share user information between different products, as well as enhancing search engine capabilities. Google also claims the policy will be...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 9:54pm MSK
[JURIST] Lawyers for two Guantanamo prisoners accused of planning the 9/11 attacks [JURIST backgrounders] asked the Pentagon Thursday to extend the filing deadline for pre-trial motions. There are currently two prisoners requesting extension, and they both cite the recent mail review controversy as to why they have been unable to meet the current deadline. Navy Cmdr. Walter Ruiz, the lawyer appointed to represent Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsaw,i claims that the new restrictions on legal mail between attorneys and their clients prevented Ruiz from meeting the deadline. The attorneys for Ramzi Binalshibh andal-Hawsawi are both asking for extensions [Miami Herald report]. Binalshibh...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 9:33pm MSK
[JURIST] War crimes suspect Leon Mugesera was charged with genocide planning, incitement and distribution of arms Thursday in a Kigali court in Rwanda. He was deported from Canada to Rwanda [JURIST report] nine days ago, following a 16-year battle in the Canadian court system in which Mugesera attempted to stay in Canada. The Quebec Superior Court ruled last month [judgment, in French] that it did not have jurisdiction over the case. Mugesera is facing charges relating to a speech he made [BBC report] when he was a member of the ruling Hutu party in Rwanda in 1992. His speech, in...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 9:04pm MSK
[JURIST] The French Commercial Tribunal [official website, in French] in Paris ruled Tuesday that Google Maps [corporate website] is anti-competitive because it is offered as a free service. The plaintiff, Bottin Cartographers [corporate website], alleged that Google provides its maps service for free, thereby undercutting competitors, in order to gain market control. The court ordered that Google must pay £415,000 to the plaintiff [Guardian report], as well as a €15,000 fine, totaling about $680,000. This is the first conviction against Google's maps service. The attorney for Bottin Cartographers said the decision "recognized the unfair and abusive character of the methods...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 8:43pm MSK
[JURIST] The Massachusetts Appeals Court [official website] held Thursday that same-sex [JURIST news archive] couples who marry and have a baby via artificial insemination are bound by the same child custody laws [opinion] as heterosexual couples. The decision came after an appeal by Della Corte, who tried to have the parental rights of her ex-wife, Angelica Rameriez, revoked in divorce proceedings since she could never be a "husband," as defined by the Massachusetts law. The court found that even though Rameriez had no biological connection with the child and that the child was conceived before the marriage, she should still...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 7:28pm MSK
[JURIST] The International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] on Friday ruled [judgment, PDF] that Germany has immunity from claims brought in foreign courts by victims of the Nazi regime. The Court found that a 2008 decision by Italy's Supreme Court [JURIST report] violated Germany's sovereign rights by allowing an Italian national to seek reparations in response to his deportation in 1944. Germany appealed this decision to the ICJ and oral arguments were heard [JURIST report] in September 2011. Germany argued that allowing the ruling to stand would violate state immunity and open the floodgates to new claims. The Italian...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 7:17pm MSK
[JURIST] The Supreme Court Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) [official website] on Friday sentenced Kaing Guek Eav [Hague Justice profile; ECCC materials], also known as "Duch," to life imprisonment [press release] for crimes against humanity and violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions [materials]. In a supermajority decision [summary, PDF], the Supreme Court Chamber overturned two decisions of the Trial Chamber. According to the Supreme Court Chamber, the July 2010 decision [JURIST report] imposing 35 years of imprisonment was made in error because it focused on the mitigating factors such as cooperation, regret and apology...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 6:11pm MSK
[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Friday that Syrian army and security officers have been engaged in the torture of children [press release]. The allegations stem from HRW's documentation of cases in which children were reportedly detained, tortured and shot in their homes. There are prior findings that the Syrian government has been involved in torturing and killing civilian protesters. HRW discovered that among those tortured protesters were children as young as 13. Interviews with juvenile victims and adult protesters who saw those children in detention centers confirmed HRW's findings. Children were reportedly arrested in schools, beaten and...
-
Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 12:02am MSK
[JURIST] The Virginia Senate [official website] approve a bill [text] on Wednesday that would require a woman seeking an abortion [JURIST news archive] to have an ultrasound before the procedure. The new requirements include the audio provision of fetal heartbeat and a determination of the gestational age of the fetus. Additionally, a written record must be created to indicate that the woman was offered the ultrasound and whether she choose to view it. That record, along with a copy of the ultrasound picture will be included in the woman's medical file. Some commentators have recently noted [JURIST op-ed] that similar...