Germany parliament passes self-determination legislation allowing gender identity modification
Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, passed the Self-Determination Act on Friday, allowing transgender and non-binary citizens to modify the gender marker on their legal documents through self-identification. The Transsexuals Act is the German law that is currently in place to govern the legal requirements for modifying gender identity on legal documentation. Section 8 of the act [...]
Canada Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of school that prohibited Muslim students from praying
The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday declined to hear the appeal of a school that was found to be discriminating against its Muslim students by denying them access to prayer space. Webber Academy, a private school in Calgary, prohibited two Muslim students from publicly praying on campus, claiming that providing prayer space violated the school’s secular [...]
Under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership, the Sri Lankan civil war reached a brutal conclusion on May 18, 2009, ending a 25-year-long conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist rebel group. Rooted in longstanding grievances, including discriminatory policies against Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, the conflict saw the [...]
China introduces list of prohibited actions for officials dealing with Beijing's entrepreneurs
The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection of Beijing, China on Wednesday rolled out a list with 10 categories of wrongdoings to avoid for government officials who deal with entrepreneurs in the city to give a push to the private sector. China’s private sector contributes to more than 60 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product [...]
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on Thursday detailing the “further and rapid deterioration” of human rights in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7. The report stressed that escalating violence puts civilian populations at risk and urged Israel and other authorities to take necessary [...]
EU Court of Justice rules chamber of Poland Supreme Court not an 'impartial' tribunal
The EU’s top court Thursday ruled that a chamber of the Polish Supreme Court, the Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs Chamber, “does not constitute a ‘court or tribunal’ for the purposes of EU law.” The Extraordinary Review Chamber was held to “not have the status of an independent and impartial tribunal” due to the process [...]
Stephen Rapp, an American lawyer and diplomat, has been a leading figure in international criminal law and human rights. He was appointed as the US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues in 2009, overseeing investigations and prosecutions of war criminals worldwide. Rapp’s commitment to justice and ending impunity was evident during his tenure, supporting [...]
Sudan's Rapid Support Forces Militia Must Be Stopped: A Brief History of Atrocities
The conflict that erupted in April between the Sudanese National Army and the Rapid Support Forces wreaked havoc on Sudan, and has ultimately taken an appalling toll. Thousands were killed and millions displaced. Buildings were burned and infrastructure lay in ruins, instilling fear of a spiraling descent into a full-scale civil war. Even before the warfare [...]
Rule of Law Chronicles: In America, the Kids Are Not Alright
This article is the fourth in a series covering attacks on the rule of law. The rule of law is a political philosophy premised on the promise that all citizens, leaders, and institutions are accountable to the same laws, guaranteed through processes, practices, and norms that work together to support the equality of all citizens [...]
US federal judge dismisses Trump counter-defamation lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll
US District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed former President Donald Trump’s counter-defamation suit against author E. Jean Carroll on Monday. Carroll has accused Trump of sexual assault, with a jury finding that Trump did sexually assault Carroll and defamed Carroll by accusing her of lying. Trump claimed that Carroll’s statements on CNN after the verdict [...]
