Iran's Prosecutor General Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei on Jan. 11 called for sedition trials against leaders of the protests following last June's contested presidential election. In a statement to Tehran prosecutors, Ejei said that he supported calls by religious and civil authorities to try those who led anti-government protests for "mohareb," or "enmity against God," which is punishable by execution. In a letter addressed to the Iranian people, opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi said that he would not be deterred from continuing to push for reform by threats of prosecution.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Jan. 10 announced plans for the construction of 70 miles of fence along Israel's border with Egypt. In explaining the purpose for the barrier, which has an estimated cost of more than $400 million, Netanyahu said: "I decided to close Israel's southern border to infiltrators and terrorists after prolonged discussions with Government ministries and professional elements. This is a strategic decision to ensure the Jewish and democratic character of the State of Israel. Israel will remain open to war refugees but we cannot allow thousands of illegal workers to infiltrate into Israel via the southern border and flood our country."

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Jan. 8 against the Library of Congress on behalf Col. Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor for the Guantánamo Bay military commissions. Davis, who was employed at Library's Congressional Research Service (CRS), resigned as the military commissions' chief prosecutor in October 2007 and became an outspoken critic of the commissions, writing articles, giving speeches, and testifying before Congress that the system is fundamentally flawed. In the lawsuit, the ACLU alleges that Davis was terminated by the CRS last year due to opinion pieces about the commissions, in violation of his rights to free speech and due process.

More than a thousand African immigrant workers were put aboard buses and trains in the southern Italian region of Calabria over the weekend and shipped out to detention centers, following an outbreak of violence over the weekend in the town of Rosarno. Three days of rioting that began Jan. 7 when a group of immigrants was attacked while returning from the farms where they worked. The clashes resulted in widespread property damage as well as injuries to more than 50 immigrants and police officers. On Jan. 10, authorities began bulldozing makeshift immigrant encampments outside Rosarno. The evacuated immigrants were dispersed to centers around Italy and face deportation if they are found to lack residence permits.

The Nigerian army Jan. 11 confirmed that a Chevron pipeline had been sabotaged, leading to the shutdown of 20,000 barrels a day in the Niger Delta. "A joint reconnaissance by Chevron Nigeria Ltd. and the [army's] Joint Task Force have confirmed that indeed there was sabotage at Chevron pipeline between Makaraba and Otunana," the JTF said in a statement, calling it "an isolated incident." The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said other militants had conducted the attack, though it had sanctioned the operation. (Dow Jones, Jan. 11)

The Chinese Embassy in Switzerland on Jan. 8 warned that the Swiss government would jeopardize relations with China by accepting two Uighur Guantánamo Bay detainees. Switzerland has already agreed to accept an Uzbek Guantánamo detainee, who will be relocated to the canton of Geneva, but authorities from the canton of Jura made a public statement last month expressing willingness to take two Uighur brothers. Since then, the Chinese embassy has issued repeated warnings to Swiss authorities cautioning against accepting the Uighurs. Public reaction in Switzerland is ambivalent, with some calling for Switzerland to stay away from an US-created problem and others appealing to human rights and maintaining a position independent of Chinese pressure.

The details surrounding the deaths of several individuals inside US immigration detention centers were intentionally concealed, the New York Times reported Jan. 9. The Times, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), gathered information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) pertaining to more than 100 deaths that have occurred in the detention facilities since 2003. The Times discovered that government officials made deliberate attempts to conceal information from the media and the public, despite the Obama administration's promises to increase the transparency of such organizations. As a result, investigations have been conducted by the US Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Times, the internal investigations provide further support that the culture of secrecy has continued in the current administration.

Afghan officials Jan. 9 signed a memorandum of understanding to delineate the process through which the Kabul government will take over the US military's Parwan Detention Center that was formerly housed at Bagram Air Base. The transfer of responsibilities may take place within six months, and the Afghan Ministry of Defense will initially run the facility. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will determine the timing of the eventual transfer of complete responsibility for the Parwan Detention Center to the Central Prisons Directorate in the Ministry of Justice. Afghan and US officials say that the move will strengthen security and the rule of law in Afghanistan.