Wednesday, November 28, 2007
SAUDI ARABIA
Court to Review Rape Victim's Sentence
A Saudi court will review the case of a teenage gang-rape victim sentenced to jail and 200 lashings after she was convicted of violating the country's strict sex-segregation laws, the foreign minister said Tuesday.
The remarks by Prince Saud al-Faisal, made in the United States and carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, were the latest response to a salvo of international condemnation of Saudi judicial authorities' handling of the case.
The Saudi Justice Ministry on Saturday condemned the 19-year-old woman, who was raped by seven men, as an adulteress who had allegedly confessed to cheating on her husband.
IRANNew Probe Ordered in Journalist's Death
Iran's Supreme Court ordered a new investigation Tuesday into the case of a Canadian Iranian photojournalist who died in a notorious Tehran prison.
Zahra Kazemi was arrested in July 2003 while taking photographs outside Evin prison during student-led protests against the ruling theocracy. She was taken into custody and died a few days later.
Iranian authorities initially said she had suffered a stroke. A committee appointed by then-President Mohammad Khatami found that Kazemi, 54, had died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage caused by a "physical attack."
TIBETDalai Lama Proposes Vote on Leadership
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who has been the symbol of resistance to Chinese rule of Tibet, said Tuesday that the Tibetan people will hold a referendum before he dies to decide whether a new system of leadership would better serve the struggle for self-determination.
It was not immediately clear how such a vote would take place, particularly in areas under Chinese rule where even the Dalai Lama's portrait is banned.
EGYPTYouTube Pulls Activist's Account, Images
The video-sharing Web site YouTube has suspended the account of a prominent Egyptian anti-torture activist who posted videos of what he said was brutal behavior by some Egyptian policemen, the activist said.
Wael Abbas said close to 100 images he had sent to YouTube were no longer accessible, including clips depicting purported police brutality, voting irregularities and anti-government demonstrations.
YouTube, owned by search engine giant Google, did not respond to a written request for comment.
PERUEx-Minister Gets Jail for Aiding Fujimori
Former Peruvian interior minister Juan Briones D¿vila has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for helping then-President Alberto Fujimori send tanks to shut down Congress and Peru's judiciary in 1992.
Nine other ministers who served Fujimori were given four-year suspended sentences by a panel of Supreme Court justices.
Fujimori, 69, faces charges of ordering death squad killings and kidnappings. His trial is to begin in December.
VENEZUELACh¿vez Recalls Envoy to Colombia
A diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Colombia deepened Tuesday as the government of President Hugo Ch¿vez recalled its ambassador to Bogota for consultations.
Ch¿vez and Colombian President ¿lvaro Uribe have exchanged increasingly sharp words over the past week, after Uribe abruptly halted Ch¿vez's efforts to broker a prisoner swap to free hostages held by Colombian rebels.
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