On May 16, 2018, Fair Trials and REDRESS released a new report which reveals how the use of evidence obtained by torture is still widespread in criminal trials across the world, and calls on States and UN bodies to do more to tackle the problem.

The story of Marie Colvin is one of great courage and profound tragedy. Colvin, an internationally-renowned American journalist, was killed on February 22, 2012 while on assignment for The Sunday Times. Marie was in Homs, Syria, a city under siege, at a makeshift civilian media center that was under attack. Her sister, nephew and nieces are suing the Government of Syria for an intentional and purposeful extrajudicial killing of Ms. Colvin as part of the regime’s campaign to eradicate journalists reporting on atrocities.

On May 7, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the United States cannot forcibly transfer an American ISIS suspect being held in Iraq to another country without first proving that he is an enemy combatant. The decision has significant implications for wartime presidential power, as well as for individual citizenship rights. The case is Doe v. Mattis.

On May 18, 2018, the European Commission, following the unanimous support of the European Union’s Heads of State or Government at the leaders’ meeting in Sofia on the evening of May 16, 2018, agreed to act on four fronts to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including activating the Block Statute against U.S. sanctions on Iran.

On May 16, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced it has settled charges against broker-dealers Chardan Capital Markets LLC and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Services LLC (ICBCFS) for failing to report suspicious sales of billions of penny stock shares.

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).  Accordingly, subject to certain 90 or 180 day wind-down periods, the United States is re-imposing nuclear-related primary and secondary sanctions that were lifted as of January 16, 2016 (Implementation Day) to effectuate its obligations under the JCPOA.

On May 13, 2018, Antiguan and Barbudan police and immigration officials detained Fitzroy Andre Coore, as he tried to enter the country after disembarking a LIAT flight from St. Kitts and Nevis, where he was hiding since January 18, 2018. 

On April 11, 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA).   The new law amends federal sex trafficking laws, establishes a new federal law criminalizing the promotion or facilitation of prostitution, and amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) to exclude from its protection acts that would constitute either a violation of federal sex trafficking laws or a criminal violation of the new federal criminal prostitution law.

On May 14, 2018, an indictment unsealed and issued by a federal grand jury in McAllen, Texas charges Jorge Zamora-Quezada, 61, of Mission, Texas with a $240 million health care fraud and international money laundering scheme.

On May 2, 2018, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that it will return nearly 4,000 ancient artifacts, including roughly 450 cuneiform tablets and 3000 clay bullae, to the country of Iraq. The artifacts had been smuggled into the U.S. in violation of U.S. and law, after being bought by Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Oklahoma-based U.S. arts and crafts retailer. [1]