UNASUR Moves to Regional Legislation

Experts of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) took the firststeps to create a regional system in legal issues, as part of the integration process that is currently in progress.

In three days of meetings at the 3rd UNASUR Judicial Power President Summit, the participants achieved agreements in issues as extradition, exhortation, alternative mechanisms to solve conflicts and exequatur.

The final statement of the meeting held in Margarita Island, in the Venezuelan Caribbean, highlighted the need to establish mechanisms to facilitate extradition and create center for conciliation and arbitration to make progress in the regional project.

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update #1, 19/10/08: UNASUR decides to establish South American Parliament in Bolivia (source: Aftermath News)

The Union of South American Nations decided at a meeting last Friday, to set up a South American Parliament in Bolivia in order to promote its international integration in accordance to EU's example.

Chilean President Michele Bachelet, UNASUR’s temporary president, and Bolivian President Evo Morales opened the meeting in Bolivia’s Cochabamba province which drew representatives from 12 countries in the region.

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Nepal appoints 3-year-old as new living goddess

Matani Shakya, 3, newly appointed ‘kumari,’ or living goddess in Nepal, looks on as farewell rituals are performed before taking her to kumari house in Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. Selected between the ages of 2 and 4, living goddesses are worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists.

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South Ossetia Floods European Rights Court With Georgia Cases

The European Court of Human Rights has received nearly 2,000 applications from South Ossetians complaining of illegal treatment at the hands of Georgia, the president of the court, Jean-Paul Costa, has said.

The complaints have been filed over the past two months, since Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway Georgian region on August 7.

They follow applications made by Georgia to the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the European Court of Human Rights against Russia, accusing its neighbor of war crimes, including ethnic cleansing.

Russia has also made complaints to international courts against Georgia, and Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said last month Russia would help any citizens of South Ossetia wanting to make complaints against Georgia.

"There will be a massive increase in the workload of the court," Costa told Reuters. "We cannot just throw away these cases."

Asked if he thought Russia was part of a coordinated effort to overwhelm the court with applications, he said: "Yes, it's possible. It's difficult to say that it's obvious or it's likely. But it's possible."

The European Court of Human Rights also has two outstanding claims by Georgia against Russia, the first dating from 2007 and the second from the recent war. The 2007 case relates to allegations of forced expulsions of Georgians from Russia and is not expected to be completed until early next year. The other case, dealing with events in August, is only at the preliminary stage, Costa said.

Initially published at RFE/RL

Copyright (c) 2008. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.