The “Occupy Central 9” Cases: Rule of Law or Rule by Law in Hong Kong?
“A trial is a window into the soul of a country.” –Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems,” which guarantees that the city’s [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo of carrying out forced disappearances and killings of 34 young men and boys between May and September 2018. There are reports of 11 additional cases, but HRW has not yet been able to verify those reports. The victims, as young [...]
PEN America filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging several violations of the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of the press. The plaintiffs allege retaliatory actions for unfavorable news reporting, including, “initiating a government review to raise postal rates; [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Monday that he is concerned about the future of the UN because of the veto power held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Russia, the US, China, the UK and France. Zeid told journalists that he felt the permanent five were “running [...]
UN rights chief warns Trump's attack on press 'close to incitement of violence'
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned in an interview with The Guardian on Monday that Trump’s attacks on the press are “very close to incitement to violence.” Zeid fears that the current President’s designation of the press as an “enemy of the people” could have dire consequences: We began to [...]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced Wednesday that former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet will succeed Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights . Bachelet completed her second four-year term as the Chilean president earlier this year. Upon her initial election in 2006, she became the first female to assume the Chilean [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed concern Wednesday over human rights violations in English-speaking regions of Cameroon. The government of Cameroon has denied the human rights office access to these regions. According to the commissioner’s statement, what started as protests in 2016 have devolved into armed elements against government forces, [...]
Amnesty International on Monday condemned the first two years of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration as a “human rights calamity.” Amnesty said that although Duterte claimed to improve the rule of law throughout the Philippines, his policies have led to an increase in violence and had a disproportionate impact on impoverished Filipinos. More specifically, Amnesty [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Monday expressed concern over the recent violence along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel that has left multiple Palestinian civilians dead. Speaking to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Zeid noted that the past two [...]
Violence by government and aligned forces in South Sudan may constitute war crimes , according to a UN report published Tuesday. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released the report , which details the atrocities occurring in the former State of Unity. This area has had a high military presence since 2014, [...]
