Middle East

Woman Is Told She’ll Get 10 Lashes for Driving in Saudi Arabia Before King Revokes Sentence

Updated: A woman who defied a religious and cultural ban by driving in Saudi Arabia was initially sentenced to 10 lashes in a landmark case in the ultraconservative Muslim county. It is the first time a court has upheld the rule against women drivers, which previously had been more informally…

Sep 29, 2011 1:50 PM CDT

Right to Vote Is On the Horizon for Women in Saudi Arabia, But Driving Ban Is Still Being Enforced

After months of campaigning by civil rights activists, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah made a surprise announcement yesterday that women would soon get the right to vote, albeit not for a few more years, according to Agence France-Presse and the National Post. However, the right to drive remains elusive despite efforts…

Sep 26, 2011 10:02 PM CDT

US Tax-Evasion Probe Is Eyeing Americans with Offshore Accounts Tied to Israel Banks

An ongoing Internal Revenue Service probe of Americans who have evaded income tax by keeping assets in offshore bank accounts is now looking at a number of financial institutions in Israel. It appears that some individuals shifted funds to Swiss branches of Israel banks when Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS AG,…

Sep 16, 2011 4:57 PM CDT

Iran’s President Says He Will Grant ‘Unilateral Pardon’ to Jailed US Hikers

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says two American hikers jailed for two years on espionage charges will be released as part of a “humanitarian gesture.” Ahmadinejad told the Washington Post he will grant a “unilateral pardon” to hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. The men were hiking in Iraq when they…

Sep 13, 2011 11:28 AM CDT

Morocco’s New Constitution Could Be Model for Arab World

Morocco’s recently approved constitution—granting new rights to women and minorities—is being praised by foreign policy experts hopeful that reforms could be a model for Arab monarchies facing uprisings. The reforms, proposed by King Mohammed VI, were approved by 98 percent of Moroccans who voted Friday. They give more power to…

Jul 5, 2011 2:50 PM CDT

US Wants to Use Frozen Libyan Assets to Help the Country’s People

The Obama administration hopes to tap billions of dollars in frozen Libyan assets to help Libyans affected by the country’s civil war. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that the United States hopes to change U.S. law to allow use of the funds, according to the Washington Post, Reuters…

May 5, 2011 12:04 PM CDT

Appeals Court Reinstates Charges Against Blackwater Security Guards in Iraqi Shootings

A federal appeals court has reinstated the manslaughter indictments of four former Blackwater security guards accused of firing on unarmed Iraqi civilians and killing 17 people in September 2007. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the trial judge who dismissed the indictments had improperly assumed…

Apr 22, 2011 3:47 PM CDT

‘Blood Money’ Wins Release of CIA Contractor Detained on Suspicion of Murder

A CIA contractor detained in Pakistan on suspicion of murder has won his freedom after the payment of “blood money” to families of the victims. Raymond Allen Davis was charged with murder and then immediately pardoned in exchange for the compensation, the Associated Press, the New York Times and MSNBC.com…

Mar 16, 2011 1:14 PM CDT

Lawyers Were Among Protesters in Libya; Justice Minister Resigns

Updated: Lawyers and judges in Libya have joined the protests there, while the country’s justice minister has also taken a stand. The justice minister, Mustafa Abud al-Jeleil, reportedly resigned to protest the government’s violent response to the demonstrations. Among the news outlets reporting the resignation are a newspaper with ties…

Feb 22, 2011 3:24 PM CST

Expert Panel Given 10 Days to Complete Draft of Egypt’s New Constitution

A panel of legal experts that includes critics of former president Hosni Mubarak has been named to revise Egypt’s constitution. The Constitutional Amendment Committee has been told to complete an initial draft within 10 days that will pave the way toward elections, Reuters Africa reports. In three months, voters will…

Feb 17, 2011 11:30 AM CST

Robed Lawyers Join Protests and March in Egypt, Calling for a Trial of Mubarak

Updated: Thousands of lawyers and doctors joined protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square on Thursday amid calls for Hosni Mubarak to resign. On Friday, the protest turned to a celebration when Mubarak stepped down, leaving the announcement to his recently named vice president, Omar Suleiman, according to the Washington Post and…

Feb 10, 2011 5:57 PM CST

As Unrest in Egypt Unfolds, BigLaw Firms Keep Wary Eye on Offices There

Despite reported turmoil in Egypt, it appears that the relatively small number of major international law firms with offices there have stayed out of the worst of the fray. “Our paramount concern is for the safety and welfare of all our people,” says Howard Morris, the CEO of SNR Denton,…

Feb 2, 2011 7:50 PM CST

ABA Prez Condemns ‘Unfair’ Trial of Iranian Civil Rights Lawyer Sentenced to 11 Years

Sentenced to 11 years in prison and barred from practicing law or leaving the country for 20 years, an Iranian civil rights attorney known for her representation of women and children is being punished for expressing her views to the media, some supporters say. Convicted of “activities against national security”…

Jan 13, 2011 12:28 AM CST

Fla. Prosecutor’s Next Career Move is to Afghanistan

After five years as a prosecutor, it isn’t unusual to make a career move. But it is a rare step to head to Afghanistan to do so. Moin Kahn isn’t venturing out alone, however. The 33-year-old Florida lawyer follows his wife, who left her job with the Pinellas County Public…

Dec 28, 2010 2:30 PM CST

Iraqi Lawyers Watch ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to Learn Trial Techniques

A Mayer Brown partner relied on To Kill a Mockingbird when he traveled to Iraq this fall to teach trial techniques to lawyers who advocate for the legal rights of victims of domestic violence. Matt Rooney used movie excerpts to show how Atticus Finch delivered opening and closing statements and…

Dec 21, 2010 12:29 PM CST