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, [...]
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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 [...]
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 [...]
Election Commission of India orders repolling in Manipur amid violence
The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered repolling at 11 polling stations within the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency on Saturday in response to incidents of violence during the Lok Sabha elections in Manipur. This decision follows disruptions that marred the initial voting process on Friday. The Lok Sabha elections are national elections to elect members [...]
US House passes bill forcing ByteDance to divest from TikTok under threat of ban
The US House of Representatives voted 360–58 Saturday to pass a sanctions bill that includes a provision forcing Chinese company ByteDance to divest from popular social media app TikTok, which would be banned in the US if ByteDance does not comply. The bill, formally entitled the “21st Century Peace through Strength Act,” designates TikTok as [...]
US Senate votes to reauthorize controversial surveillance law with changes
The US Senate voted 60–34 early Saturday to reauthorize and amend controversial intelligence legislation known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), just after the provision expired at midnight. Section 702 authorizes federal intelligence services to collect data from non-US “persons reasonably believed to be located outside the to acquire foreign intelligence [...]
Togo parliament approves controversial constitutional reforms
Togo lawmakers voted on Friday to approve long-contested constitutional reforms, moving the West African country from a presidential to a parliamentary system of governance. The opposition Dynamique pour La Majorite du Peuple (DMP) alliance called for protests Saturday in the wake of the legislative vote. The lawmakers unanimously approved the changes, adopted on March 25, [...]
Oklahoma House passes controversial immigration bill criminalizing 'impermissible occupation'
The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 4156 on Thursday by a vote of 77-20, which proposes the creation of the criminal act of impermissible occupation, targeting individuals who willfully enter and remain in Oklahoma without legal authorization to be in the United States. Under the provisions of HB 4156, impermissible occupation is defined as [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]