The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) indicted former Syrian Vice President Rifaat al-Assad on Tuesday, referring him to the Federal Criminal Court for trial. The OAG accused al-Assad of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving as commander of the defense brigades and commander of operations in the Syrian city of [...]
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Breaking Barriers: A Global Review of Legislative Reform on Women's Rights
The plight of women’s rights in various countries reflects a complex interplay of legal, cultural and societal norms that significantly disenfranchise women and girls, threatening their human rights and dignity. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Nigeria present challenging environments where women’s rights [...]
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk released a statement Friday condemning Israel’s latest expansion of settlements in the West Bank as well as the marked increase in “illegal” Israeli settlements over the last year, along with increasing extremist settler violence against Palestinians residing in the area. Türk stated, “The West Bank is [...]
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago. This was Zelensky’s first release in over a year of public casualty figures since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, which has garnered accusations of violations of international law. Zelensky did not disclose the number of [...]
UN report calls for accountability for violations of international law in Israel and Palestine
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report on Friday calling for accountability for Israel and Palestinian militant groups for numerous violations of international law over the course of the Israel-Palestine conflict and occupation. The report said that the ongoing human rights violations “cannot be permitted to continue” and called for immediate adherence [...]
UN human rights experts warn that exporting arms to Israel could violate international law
A statement released Friday by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of UN rights experts warns countries against the “transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel” as this could violate international humanitarian law if these weapons are used contrary to the Geneva Conventions, referring to Israel’s alleged failure to [...]
Amnesty International unveils evidence of 'unlawful' Israeli attacks in Gaza
Amnesty International (AI) released new evidence on Monday of “unlawful” Israeli attacks in Gaza. AI warns of a “real risk of genocide” as Israeli forces continue to “flout” international humanitarian law and obliterate entire families. The report focuses on four strikes that occurred between December 2023 and January 2024 in Rafah, a southern governorate of [...]
Amnesty International: Russia sentences 33 Ukrainian soldiers for war crimes after 'unlawful trials'
Amnesty International (AI) reported that Russia sentenced 33 Ukrainian soldiers in the Supreme Court of the Luhansk People’s Republic in Russian-occupied Luhansk on Monday for “alleged war crimes.” Russian authorities captured the soldiers as prisoners of war (POWs). Their sentences range from twenty-seven to twenty-nine years. AI reported that Russian authorities prosecuted the POWs for [...]
The US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called for an investigation into an alleged massacre of civilians taking place in Ethiopia’s Amhara region on Friday, where local rights group Ethiopia Human Rights Council (EHRC) has said over 80 people were killed following violent clashes between soldiers and a militia groupknown as the Fano. On January [...]
UN chief 'especially alarmed' by potential Israel ground invasion in Rafah
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern for the safety of Palestinian refugees in Rafah after Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed its plans for military action in the area, saying he was “especially alarmed” by a potential ground invasion. The plans for a full-scale ground invasion into the city in southern Gaza are drawing criticism and [...]