Missouri judge declines to overturn conviction of inmate scheduled for execution
A judge in Missouri rejected on Thursday inmate Marcellus Williams’ attempt to overturn a murder conviction and death sentence on the basis of updated DNA evidence. Circuit Judge Bruce F. Hilton stated in his rejection of the bid that “none of this evidence is ‘new’ as it was available at trial.” Williams’ legal team filed [...]
Fiery protests sparked outside Argentina’s congress on Wednesday after the Chamber of Deputies voted to block a bill instating an increase in pensions. Previously, the bill had been vetoed by President Javier Milei, who says his priority is to maintain fiscal balance. The opposition failed to secure the two-thirds vote needed to overturn the presidential [...]
The Dilution of 'Genocide': Why We Need a New Term for Mass Atrocities
In the Israel-Hamas war, accusations of an Israeli “genocide” against the people of Gaza have created fierce debate and, consequently, warrant a reappraisal of the meaning of the term. Far from the historical and legal definition of the word, accusations of genocide against Israel have transformed the very essence of the word. This is lexical [...]
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) condemned the US House of Representatives on Wednesday for using its Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act to “slander laws on safeguarding national security” and “smear the human rights situation” in Hong Kong. The bill, which passed the House 413-3, seeks to [...]
The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal found that social media platform Facebook violated statutory obligations for data protection and meaningful consent created by Canada’s primary legislation on the use of personal information by corporations, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Following an investigation into Facebook’s personal data-sharing practices, the Privacy Commissioner of [...]
Rights groups call on Iran to revoke Kurdish activist's death sentence
Over 26 human rights organizations, including the Kurdistan Human Rights Network and Center for Human Rights in Iran, issued a joint statement on Tuesday calling for the immediate revocation of the death sentence imposed on Kurdish women’s rights activist Pakhshan Azizi. This sentence, handed down by the Iranian judiciary, has sparked international outrage, with the [...]
Urgent action required amid spiraling risk of all-out war in Yemen
Yemen is at risk of returning to full-scale war and the international community has a common interest and responsibility to stop this from happening, UN Special Envoy for the country Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council in July. For nearly a decade, Yemen has been gripped by one of the most severe humanitarian crises in [...]
Netherlands court convicts two Pakistani men for assassination threats against politician
The Court of The Hague issued its ruling on Monday in the case of two Pakistani individuals who had called on the public to assassinate Dutch politician Geert Wilders. The court delivered its ruling just a week after the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced plans to prosecute the two Pakistani nationals, a 56-year-old religious leader and [...]
A month ago, we witnessed the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, a 19-day sporting marvel where athletes from all corners of the world came together and pushed the limits of what is humanly possible. More than 200 countries participated in these Olympics, which also included two Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and a Refugee Team. AIN [...]
Two Canadian men, Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert, were each sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for mischief over $5000 and possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence following their arrest during the Freedom Convoy blockade at the Coutts, Alberta, border crossing in 2022. The two were previously not found guilty [...]
