Latest revelations on the News of the World’s phone-hacking scandal puts the police under the spotlight, says Brian Cathcart. The Met should be taken off the case and the investigation reopened
(more…)
Wikileaks‘ founder Julian Assange was granted bail by a London court, but he will remain in custody until an appeal against the decision is heard. Assange is facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges including one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape. He denies the charges.
Before he is freed Assange must pay a £200,000 security into the court, he will be electronically tagged and subject to a curfew from 10am-2pm and 10pm-2am.
(more…)
Lawyers in Rome, Madrid, Paris, The Hague and Berlin will today protest against the wrongful imprisonment of their colleagues in Iran. On this the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, Iranian Embassies will be presented with a letter of protest from the Association of European Democratic Lawyers — a coalition of nine lawyers’ associations across Europe, works to “promote the respect of the rights of the defense and in particular to preserve the physical integrity as well as the political and economic freedom of lawyers” and works especially to support “those who are in precarious situations and those whose basic rights are not recognised or hardly acknowledged.”
Iran has imprisoned several of its human rights lawyers, who now join their clients in prison. Recorded human rights abuses reached an all time high in Iran’s post-election crisis and lawyers trying to defend citizens from unlawful detention and systematic torture have themselves been terrorised and have fallen victim to a system desperate to curb any activity that defends personal freedoms.
Others like Mohammad Mostafaei one of the lawyers for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani have fled. His colleague on the case, Houtan Kian, remains in prison.
Dr Ben Goldacre argues scientists must be able to critique drugs and medical devices without the risk of losing their home in an expensive and time-consuming libel case
(more…)