Ore. teacher unions accuse political activist of racketeering, using sham charity for politics

Ore. teachers renew legal fight with activist

UN rights panel: threats, killing of Russian journalists, rights activists alarming

UN panel: killing of Russian journalists alarming

Bob Barker gives Mo. alma mater $1 million to promote animal rights curriculum

Bob Barker donates $1M for animal rights professor

Reports: Criminal case opened against prominent Russian rights activist

Reports: Case opened against Russian activist

Prominent opposition activist shot and killed in southern Russia

Opposition activist killed in southern Russia

EU awards Sakharov rights prize to Russians beleagured rights activists

MOSCOW — The European Union’s parliament on Thursday awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought to three prominent Russian rights activists, in recognition of the difficult conditions they face in defending human rights in Russia today.

EU awards Sakharov rights prize to Russia’s Memorial group

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s parliament has awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought to Russia’s Memorial group of human rights activists.

Years after 1st declaring she’s a lesbian, appointee could become 1st openly gay US marshal

MINNEAPOLIS — As a little-known Minneapolis police sergeant, Sharon Lubinski made headlines when she declared she was a lesbian on the front pages of the city’s largest newspaper — a bold move that other gay officers say inspired them to come out, too.

Small group of animal rights activists protests Vick outside Coliseum, others show support

OAKLAND, Calif. — Michael Vick heard it all in his first road game, from supporters to animal rights activists and protesters eager to boo him. Or bark at him for that matter.

US customs agents detain Mexican human rights activist apparently for his own safety

EL PASO, Texas — A Mexican human rights official is in U.S. customs detention, apparently for his own safety, after he reported 170 instances of Mexican soldiers allegedly torturing, abusing and killing innocent people in Chihuahua.

In Paraguay, secret archive may shed light on dictatorship-era repression in South America

ASUNCION, Paraguay — Human rights activists gained access Wednesday to a dictatorship-era military archive that appears to contain long-held secrets about Paraguay’s persecution of opponents during Alfredo Stroessner’s 1954-1989 rule.

Opposition leaders say Clinton pledges US support for democracy, human rights in Russia

MOSCOW — Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton assured Russia’s struggling independent journalists and rights activists Tuesday that U.S. efforts to improve ties with Moscow did not mean Washington was abandoning its support for democracy in Russia.

Gypsy laborer faces execution in Belarus, the last European country using capital punishment

TATARYA VILLAGE, Belarus — His last hopes fading, a 30-year-old illiterate Gypsy laborer whose lawyers say was tortured into confessing to murder awaits his unannounced appointment with the executioner.

Emirates court convicts Lebanese-American on terrorism charges

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Using sweeping security codes passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, the United Arab Emirates’ highest court convicted an American citizen Monday on terrorism-related charges amid claims that torture was used to extract his confession.

Anti-government protesters in Bangkok call for Thai prime minister to step down

BANGKOK — Thousands of supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, all in red shirts, rallied Sunday in Bangkok to demand the government step down and call fresh elections.

President Barack Obama seeks to appease gay rights supporters after rocky relations this year

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is finding it tough to deliver on big campaign promises to the gay rights community but is looking to reaffirm a commitment to their priorities.

US President Barack Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO — The Norwegian Nobel Committee says U.S. President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Norwegian broadcaster: Tsvangirai, Cordoba potential Nobel Peace Prize winners

OSLO — Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba and Chinese dissident Hu Jia are among the favorites to win the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian national broadcaster NRK reported Friday.

Speculation ahead of Peace Prize, with activists from China, Colombia taking center stage

OSLO — Activists from Colombia, Jordan and Afghanistan working to resolve armed conflicts and a Chinese dissident are at the center of speculation as contenders for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Hundreds rally in Moscow on 3rd anniversary of Politkovskaya’s killing, call for justice

MOSCOW — Hundreds of people urged Russian authorities to find and punish the killers of journalists and human rights activists in Russia, rallying Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of the killing of Anna Politkovskaya.

Chinese dissidents top Nobel Peace Prize speculation in 20th anniversary year of Tiananmen

OSLO — Chinese dissidents are leading the odds of winning the Nobel Peace Prize this year, the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the 60th since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader wins defamation lawsuit against rights activist

MOSCOW — Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Tuesday won a defamation lawsuit against a rights activist who blamed him for the killing of a colleague whose murder sparked international outrage.