Legal News – Newsletter for January 14, 2011

Obama urged to press Hu on missing lawyer, jailed activists

BEIJING – Human rights groups Friday urged US President Barack Obama to press his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, over missing lawyer Gao Zhisheng and other jailed activists.

“We hope you will seize the opportunity before you – an opportunity nearly all Chinese lack – to confront the Chinese leadership about its profound disrespect for universal … Read more >>>.

India to ease travel permits for Pakistani Kashmiris

NEW DELHI – The government will “unilaterally” ease travel restrictions and give multiple-entry permits valid for six months to Pakistani Kashmiris who want to visit their families in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said Friday.

Pillai said Pakistan did not agree to the Indian government’s idea to ease travel curbs on families divided …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : India to ease travel permits for Pakistani Kashmiris.

WikiLeaks pays US soldier $15,100 legal fee for leaks

LONDON – Whistle-blower website Wikileaks has donated $15,100 to the legal defence fund of the US soldier accused of providing it with the digital trove of secret diplomatic cables sent to and from American embassies across the globe.

The legal defence fund of Private Bradley Manning, charged with the disclosure of thousands of classified … Read more »»».

Russia’s ‘porn king’ wants his movies back

Moscow, Jan 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A top porn movie producer in Russia – dubbed the “porn king” – has filed a complaint in a court demanding the return of more than 60,000 adult films made by his studio that are currently in the court’s possession.

The St. Petersburg court seized the adult movies made by …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

UN human rights rapporteur to visit Kashmir Jan 19

NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR – United Nations rapporteur on human rights Margaret Sekaggya will visit Srinagar on Jan 19 to assess the condition of “human rights defenders” in the conflict-hit Kashmir Valley, a UN official said Friday.

“Sekaggya, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, arrived in India …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : UN human rights rapporteur to visit Kashmir Jan 19.

Apex court questions secrecy about German bank accounts

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Friday asked the central government what was the difficulty in making public the names of people who have stashed away huge amount of money in a German bank.

The observation from the apex court bench of Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy and Justice S.S. Nijjar came in the wake of …. Original article  : Apex court questions secrecy about German bank accounts.

Darbari gets bail in CWG scam

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court on Friday granted bail to former Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee (OC) official T S Darbari on the grounds that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not file any chargesheet against him.

The High Court also said that the CBI has not submitted enough evidence to nail … Read more »».

Pakistan unlikely to defend Hafiz Saeed in 26/11 US lawsuit

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has dodged the issue of defending Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in a US lawsuit, which has issued him summons in connection with the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, saying it would only protect the interests of ISI officials who had been named in the case.

DG ISI Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Pakistan unlikely to defend Hafiz Saeed in 26/11 US lawsuit.

‘Able’ person gets disability award in Goa, complaint filed

PANAJI – A collective working for disabled people in Goa filed a complaint against Minister for Social Welfare Sudin Dhavalikar for what it called fraudulently awarding state disability award 2010 to an ‘able’ person.

In a formal criminal complaint filed with the Panaji police, Avelino D’Sa of the Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) … Read more >>>.

Calcutta High Court decision on Lalgarh killings

KOLKATA – The Calcutta High Court will today decide on a petition asking for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the killings in Lalgarh’s Netai village.

The State Home Secretary has filed an affidavit saying no CBI inquiry is needed as the CID is already investigating the case.

The affidavit would be placed … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Calcutta High Court decision on Lalgarh killings.