In a blow to LGBTQ+ rights, the US Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the constitutional right to free speech allows certain businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, ruling in favour of a web designer who cited her Christian beliefs in challenging a Colorado anti-discrimination law.
“The First Amendment envisions the US as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands,” Gorsuch wrote. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. During oral arguments in the case in December, the liberal justices said a decision favouring Smith could empower certain businesses to discriminate.
Public accommodations laws exist in many states, banning discrimination in areas such as housing, hotels, retail businesses, restaurants and educational institutions. Colorado first enacted one in 1885. Its current Anti-Discrimination Act bars businesses open to the public from denying goods or services to people because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and certain other characteristics.
Smith said in 2022, “My faith has taught me to love everyone, and that's why I work with everyone through my business. But that also means I can't create every message.”
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Rwanda: Govt Takes Issue With UK Court Ruling on Safety of Asylum SeekersRwanda takes issue with a recent ruling by the United Kingdom's Court of Appeal which, among others, ruled that the country is not a safe destination for asylum seekers and refugees, Yolande Makolo, the government spokesperson said in a statement issued on Thursday.
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Rwanda Disagrees With UK Court Ruling on Safety of Asylum SeekersRwanda takes issue with a recent ruling by the United Kingdom's Court of Appeal which, among others, ruled that the country is not a safe destination for asylum seekers and refugees, Yolande Makolo, the government spokesperson has said. Makolo's reaction came after three judges overturned a High Court ruling passed in December, 2022, that described the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as lawful and "consistent with the refugee convention." Dubbed "Migration and Economic Development Partnership", the deal was initially established to allow migrants and asylum seekers who are illegally in the UK to be transferred to Rwanda. A first of its kind in the world, the deal was also touted as part of the efforts to promote "the dignity and empowerment of migrants." The ruling has triggered mixed reactions, with some describing the judgment as "deeply disappointing," while others pointed at taking it case by case, reports Edwin Ashimwe for New Times.
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Paris Court Sentences Former Rwandan Policeman For GenocideThe Cour d'assises de Paris has delivered a life sentence to Philippe Hategekimana, the former deputy commander of Gendarmerie (police), for his involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Hategekimana, 66, a resident of France for many years, underwent a trial that commenced on May 10, 2023 and concluded on June 28, 2023. He was found guilty of charges related to genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity. These charges encompass the massacres in Nyanza, Nyabubare, Nyamure, Ntyazo, and ISAR (Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda) Songa, where Hategekimana was reported to have either led the police involved in the killing of Tutsi individuals, or coordinated with both the police and Interahamwe (a paramilitary group) at roadblocks. Hategekimana was also convicted of two other murders. He has been granted 10 days to appeal the court's decision. This is the fifth such trial in France where a perpetrator in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi is convicted.
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