South Korea’s liberal-led legislature passed a bill against traditional and online news outlets for publishing “false or fabricated information.” The bill authorizes substantial punitive damages targeting the news media and raises concerns about increased censorship. The Conservative Party launched a filibuster, but the Democratic Party ended it 24 hours later and passed the bill with [...]

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders on Tuesday urged Togo authorities to release Togolese-Irish citizen and human rights defender Abdoul Aziz Goma from prison on the seventh anniversary of his arrest. Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor noted that the Togolese Criminal Procedure Code allows for conditional release of prisoners who have [...]

United Nations experts on Tuesday urged Iran to immediately stop the execution of Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer detained at Lakan Prison in Rasht. In their statement, the UN experts detailed severe procedural violations, including arrest without a warrant, prolonged solitary confinement, a trial lasting less than ten minutes via video conference, and [...]

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture raised concerns on Wednesday about the detention conditions of Bushra Bibi Khan, the wife of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. The statement urged Pakistani authorities to take immediate measures to improve Bushra Khan’s situation and to comply with international human rights standards. Special Rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards noted [...]

Belgium filed Tuesday a declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case against Israel in relation to the situation in the Gaza Strip. In the declaration, Belgium expressed its understanding of the term “genocidal intent” contained in the Genocide Convention. Citing a previous ICJ provisional measure order in the case [...]

UN experts and rights organizations on Tuesday raised alarm over coordinated attacks on journalists, media outlets and cultural institutions in Bangladesh following the assassination of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, describing the violence as a serious threat to freedom of expression and democratic participation ahead of the February 2026 parliamentary elections. Hadi, 32, a key [...]

The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday rejected former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his graft sentence under house arrest. The case centered on the validity of a supplementary order issued by former king Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. The order allowed Najib to serve the remainder of [...]

Chinese officials on Monday condemned the US seizure of oil tankers headed from Venezuelan ports, calling the acts a “serious violation of international law.” “Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference. Jian stated that China opposes unilateral enforcement of [...]

UN officials warned on Monday that the war in Sudan is reaching a deadlier phase as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) gain territories in the Kordofan region. During several briefings at the 10,077th meeting of the UN Security Council, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari confirmed the alarming humanitarian situation in Sudan as the [...]

US President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he will appoint a special envoy for Greenland, prompting responses from Denmark and Greenland leaders, expressing worry over potential US expansionist aims and threats to territorial integrity. This is an unusual move, as Greenland is not an independent country but an autonomous territory of Denmark. Trump made the [...]