The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that a UN judge was unlawfully detained in Türkiye in 2016. The Turkish court failed to recognise Aydin Sefa Akay’s diplomatic immunity when they arrested and detained him on terrorism charges following a failed coup d’État in 2016. Akay made his application to the ECHR in [...]
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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. [...]
Ecuador votes to approve tightened security measures amid wave of violence
Ecuadorians voted to approve a number of security proposals from President Daniel Noboa on Sunday as the South American country experiences a surge in violence that has claimed the lives of multiple public officials, including a presidential candidate. Among the proposals was a proposition to amend Ecuador’s constitution to allow the country’s armed forces to [...]
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 [...]
Poland authorities arrest three in relation to attack on Navalny ally
Polish authorities arrested three people on Friday in relation to the attack on an ally of the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. Leonid Volkov was “brutally attacked” in mid-March outside his home in Lithuania, where he lives in exile. The arrests were announced by Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, who released a statement on X [...]
Russia journalist's home searched in probe of prominent exiled colleague
The media outlet Fontanka.ru reported Friday that their journalist, Ksenia Klochkova, had her home searched by police in connection with a criminal investigation against journalist Andrei Zakharov. Zakharov left Russia in December 2021, having stated that he faced unprecedented surveillance after being designated as a foreign agent. Fontanka.ru indicated that on Friday around 9 a.m., [...]
Former Philadelphia Police Officer Edsaul Mendoza, accused of shooting an unarmed 12-year-old, pleaded guilty to 3rd-degree murder on Friday, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s Office. In March 2022, Mendoza shot Thomas “TJ” Siderio during a “tactically unsound” foot pursuit. The former officer had been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, [...]
Alabama legislature rejects bill allowing for resentencing of death row inmates
The Alabama House of Representatives rejected a bill on Wednesday that would allow the resentencing of death row inmates who were sentenced by a trial judge. The bill was defeated in Alabama’s House Judicial Committee by a 9-4 vote. In 2016, the US Supreme Court issued an opinion on Hursts v. Florida finding, “The Sixth [...]
Russia jails top hypersonics scientist for seven years on treason charges
Renowned Russian scientist Alexander Kuranov received a seven-year sentence in a high-security prison on Thursday for state treason, according to the Head of the United Press Service of the Courts of St. Petersburg. Kuranov, who formerly headed a state research institute in St. Petersburg overseeing the Ayaks hypersonic aircraft program, faced arrest in 2021 at the age [...]
US appeals court rules against former Republican consultant in foreign election contribution case
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled against former Republican campaign consultant Jesse R. Benton on Friday, upholding Benton’s conviction for allegedly funneling $100,000 in campaign donations from a Russian businessman to his consulting firm. Of the $100,000, Benton was convicted of keeping $75,000 of the donation for himself and giving the [...]