International Court Roundup

Czech Republic
Top court delays alleged Russian hacker extradition
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s top court says that the country’s justice minister cannot rule in the extradition case of an alleged Russian hacker until it deals with his complaint against the court approval of the extradition.

In a decision that was made available Tuesday, the Constitutional Court says it will rule on the complaint filed by Yevgeniy Nikulin soon after it receives all necessary documents.

Czech authorities arrested Nikulin in Prague in cooperation with the FBI in October 2016. He faces charges of hacking computers at American companies in 2012 and the U.S. wanted him extradited to face a trial there.

Moscow also wants him extradited on a separate charge of internet theft in 2009.

Czech courts ruled that both extradition requests meet the necessary legal conditions, leaving the final decision to the justice minister.

Pakistan
Top court indicts minister in ­contempt case
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s top court has indicted a minister in a contempt case for critical speeches he made after the court disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for concealing assets.

Danyal Aziz, a ruling Pakistan Muslim League party leader and minister for privatization, pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had taken notice of speeches made by Aziz last year and he was charged with accusing the court of bias against Sharif and saving opposition leader Imran Khan from disqualification.

The court set a hearing for March 26 for witness testimony.

Earlier this year, the court sent ruling party Sen. Nihal Hashmi to prison for a month for speaking against the judiciary.

The court disqualified Sharif last year on charges stemming from leaked papers from a Panama law firm.

Germany
Court rejects bid for gender-sensitive bank forms
BERLIN (AP) — A German federal court has rejected a customer’s demand for her bank to include the feminine form of words such as “account holder” on official forms.

The Federal Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that plaintiff Marlies Kraemer hadn’t suffered any discrimination under German law from her bank’s use of the “generic masculine” on forms, a common practice. The German language adds a suffix to turn nouns into feminine form. In the case of account holder, “Kontoinhaber” becomes “Kontoinhaberin.”

In the 1990s, Kraemer did without a passport until the feminine form of “holder” was added to the application form. She later gathered signatures to push for high-pressure areas in weather reports to be given feminine as well as masculine names. But courts have been unimpressed by her campaign for gender-sensitive bank forms.