29 November 2014 Last updated at 09:22
Kami Chavis Simmons, law professor and director of the Criminal Justice Program at Wake Forest University: Unfortunately, I was not surprised about the verdict. And there are a number of reasons for that. First, these officer-involved shootings are notoriously difficult to prosecute. And the way the grand jury process unfolded in this case led me to believe early on that there was going to be a lot of information, a lot of conflicting evidence that would give the jurors reason to believe that there was no probable cause for an indictment which is the standard here. This is unusual because typically in the grand jury process the prosecutor - if he believes that they have probable cause - will present the best-case scenario.
Court in Egypt clears Hosni Mubarak over 2011 killings
A court in Cairo has cleared former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of conspiring to kill protesters during the 2011 uprising against his rule.
The courtroom erupted in cheers when the judge concluded Mubarak's retrial by dismissing the charges which relate to the deaths of hundreds of people.
He was also cleared of a corruption charge involving gas exports to Israel.
Mubarak, 86, is serving a separate three-year sentence for embezzlement of public funds.
Chinese rights activist denies public disorder charges in chaotic all-night trial
Yang Maodong forced into lengthy hearing without food as Beijing government broadens its crackdown on dissent
A leading Chinese rights activist who organised rallies for media freedom pleaded not guilty to charges of disturbing public order in an all-night trial in which the judge rejected his requests for food, a lawyer said.
The case against Yang Maodong, 48, comes amid a broadening crackdown on dissent. In January, a Beijing court sentenced legal activist Xu Zhiyong to four years in prison for leading a loosely organized civil movement. Several of his followers also were imprisoned.
New York-based Human Rights Watch called on authorities to drop the charges against Yang, better known by his penname Guo Feixiong, and fellow defendant Sun Desheng, who was arrested for urging the Chinese government to grant more rights to its people and to disclose officials’ assets.
Pope’s Turkish visit blighted by Erdogan’s comments
Those from outside Muslim world ‘like seeing us, our children, die’, says president
Paddy Agnew
If Pope Francis had any illusions about the difficulties of Muslim-Christian, East-West dialogue, they would have been dispelled by a remarkable statement this week from Turkish president Recep Erdogan. On the eve of the pope’s current three-day trip to Turkey, the president said:
“I speak clearly. Those who come from outside [the Muslim world] only like the oil, gold, diamonds, cheap workforce, conflicts and disputes of the lands of Islam. Believe me, they do not like us . . . They like seeing us, our children die. How long we will continue to tolerate this?”
He made these comments, widely reported in yesterday’s English language, Turkish media, in an address to the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Co-operation of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.
Ferguson symbol of bias in US criminal justice system
The judicial process in Ferguson was not illegal, but the prosecutor's conduct deviated from the norm and thus created a perception of unfairness, two legal scholars tell DW.
DW: As a law professor specializing in racial issues were you surprised by the decision of the grand jury in Ferguson not to indict Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown?Kami Chavis Simmons, law professor and director of the Criminal Justice Program at Wake Forest University: Unfortunately, I was not surprised about the verdict. And there are a number of reasons for that. First, these officer-involved shootings are notoriously difficult to prosecute. And the way the grand jury process unfolded in this case led me to believe early on that there was going to be a lot of information, a lot of conflicting evidence that would give the jurors reason to believe that there was no probable cause for an indictment which is the standard here. This is unusual because typically in the grand jury process the prosecutor - if he believes that they have probable cause - will present the best-case scenario.
Israel's draconian home demolitions revive questions over deterrence
Ruth Pollard
Middle East Correspondent
Jabal al-Mukabbir, East Jerusalem: Mohamed Abu Jamal has barely slept in the last 10 days.
Every time he closes his eyes he is overwhelmed – by the struggle to understand the violent actions of his son and to survive the Israeli government's decision to punish his family for those actions.
On November 18, his son Ghassan, with his cousin Uday, took meat cleavers and a gun to a synagogue in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighbourhood of Har Nof and killed five people.
The vicious, frenzied attack in a place of worship shocked people on both sides of the divided city and had many speculating whether the tit-for-tat attacks had escalated past the point of no return.Facing unabated anger over students, Mexico leader vows police overhaul
The abduction and apparent murder of 43 college students has forced President Peña Nieto's hand. On Thursday, he promised sweeping security reforms. But many doubt if he can break a culture of impunity.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto vowed Thursday to overhaul local policing and more firmly establish the rule of law across the country, his strongest response yet to the apparent massacre of 43 students.
The president’s announcement comes two months after a drug gang working with local police allegedly abducted and killed the students in the southwestern city of Iguala. His new anti-crime plan highlights the growing pressure from protesters to end impunity and brutality by law enforcement officials.
Mr. Peña Nieto suggested his plan was influenced by the Iguala tragedy in a wide-ranging televised address, noting its "cruelty and barbarity have shocked Mexico,” The Associated Press reports.
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