International Court of Justice rules against Israel but declines to order end to genocide in Gaza
By Tom Carter On Friday, the International Court of Justice issued an 86-paragraph written decision on the request for “provisional measures” in the pending case by the government of South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Employing restrained but nevertheless damning language, the judges wrote,
Death row inmate executed by first-ever nitrogen asphyxiation: “Tonight Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards”
By Kate Randol. The state of Alabama put Kenneth Eugene Smith to death Thursday evening at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. With his execution, Alabama has earned the macabre distinction of being the first US state, and likely the first government entity internationally, to utilize nitrogen asphyxiation to deliberately kill
Kentucky bill aims to criminalize homelessness
By Milo Stevens. A Kentucky bill introduced in the legislature January 9 aims to criminalize homeless encampments across the state. House Bill 5, called the “Safer Kentucky Act,” would allow police to arrest people camping in public areas, sleeping in their cars or generally trying to survive in the elements. The bill
South Africa institutes proceedings in ICJ against Israel and requests for provisional measures to immediately suspend military operations in Gaza
By Staff Writer Last December (29) South Africa filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, concerning alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
US Supreme Court to decide whether Trump is eligible to appear on the ballot
by Tom Carter On Friday, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear a legal challenge to a decision by the highest court of the state of Colorado barring former president Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot for the Republican primary election in the state. The decision by the Supreme Court to
License to kill: US police killed over 1,200 people in 2023
By Jacob Crosse Nearly a decade after popular protests broke in Ferguson, Missouri, following the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, MappingPoliceViolence.us (MPV) has found that police killed at least 1,213 people this year in the US, slightly more than the 1,202 deaths tabulated by MPV in 2022. According to MPV, citing data from
Poet and teacher Ahnaf Jazeem, victim of Sri Lanka government racist campaign, acquitted
By Sanjaya Jayasekera The High Court of Puttalam last Tuesday (12) acquitted poet and teacher Ahnaf Jazeem of the charge against him framed under draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), three and half years after his wrongful arrest. The acquittal is based on the failure of the State to prove the
Australian government rams through detention and citizenship-stripping laws
By Mike Head Scenes in the Australian parliament on Wednesday made a farce of any pretence of democracy. In fact, the real face of parliament was on display, spearheaded by a Labor government in imposing deeply reactionary laws. Intent on proving itself more draconian than the Liberal-National Coalition, the Labor government again
Legal challenge to Australian government’s new laws to impose inhuman conditions on released refugees
By Mike Head. New legislation imposing police-state restrictions on 93 people released from indefinite immigration detention has been already challenged in the Australian High Court. This is less than a week after the Labor government combined with the Liberal-National Coalition opposition to ram the regressive laws through parliament in just 12
UK Supreme Court upholds Sunak’s Rwanda Asylum Policy unlawful
By Staff Writer In a landmark ruling last Wednesday (15), a five judge bench of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom unanimously dismissed the Home Secretary's appeal to enforce Rwanda Asylum Policy, and upheld the Court of Appeal's decision that the policy is unlawful. The court concluded that there are