Amnesty International releases report on human rights regression in 2023
Amnesty International published “The State of the World’s Human Rights” report Wednesday, outlining human rights concerns during 2023 in 155 countries. The report highlighted human rights concerns, which include war crimes, economic crises, climate change, repression of dissents, women and LGBTI people’s rights backslash and online incitement to racial hatred. The report first addressed violations [...]
A group of 120 protesters were arrested at a pro-Palestinian encampment Monday in front of New York University’s business school, according to NYU student newspaper Washington Square News. The arrests come as Columbia University, citing safety, shifted its classes on its Morningside, Manhattan campus to a hybrid online/in-person format after a protest encampment there became [...]
The US Department of State released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on Monday, amidst the seventy-fifth anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UDHR. The report emphasized “several new commitments, including to renew investments around the world in democracy and human rights, to help protect human rights defenders online, [...]
Legislating Identity: A Critical Analysis of the Anti-LGBT Bills in Kenya and Ghana
Recent Afrobarometer survey data (Round 8, 2019-2021) paints a stark picture with 86% of Kenyans and 93% of Ghanaians expressing intolerance towards the LGBT community. This high level of intolerance exists despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guaranteeing non-discrimination based on sexual orientation. Furthermore, across Africa, laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual activity remain commonplace. [...]
The pending deportation of British Columbia, Canada climate activist Zain Haq, scheduled for last Sunday, was called off last week, according to his lawyer Randall Cohn. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) contacted Haq to confirm he would not face a removal order. Haq’s upbringing was in Pakistan before he arrived in Canada on a [...]
A referendum to remove Albanian mayors in four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo failed on Sunday following low turnout. The Central Commission of Elections of Kosovo declared that until 15:30 only 203 citizens voted in the referendum, with around one percent turnout at the end of the process. The referendum comes at heightened tensions between [...]
Nearly seven months after the start of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, the NYPD entered campus on Thursday to disperse a student gathering and carry out mass arrests for the first time since 1968. Hundreds of students set up tents and occupied parts of the South Lawn in front of Butler Library for more [...]
Armenia announced Friday that it will return four villages to Azerbaijan as a result of the 8th meeting of the State Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia. The announcement was shared in a press release published by Armenian state media. A spokesperson for [...]
The Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS) on Friday issued a decision to not prosecute 15 British soldiers on charges of perjury for allegedly providing false evidence relating to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. After receiving an investigation file submitted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which contained allegations of murder and attempted murder [...]
UK police issues apology after officer's 'openly Jewish' comment at pro-Palestine protest
The UK Metropolitan Police issued an apology on Friday after one officer referred to Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) chief executive Gideon Falter as “openly Jewish” at a pro-Palestinian protest and described his presence as provocative. In a video published by the CAA, the police officer did not allow Falter to cross the road “because of [...]
