The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern over reports about dozens of abductions and enforced disappearances in Syria during a press briefing on Friday. In his statement, spokesperson Thameen Al-Keetan stated that OHCHR documented at least 97 people missing since the ousting of former president Assad. He also stressed [...]

Human Rights Watch warned on Thursday that Kenya’s cybercrime law amendments risk criminalizing legitimate online speech. The amendments, assented to on October 15 and published by Parliament on November 4, increase penalties for certain offences, broaden the government’s investigative and enforcement powers, and expand the authority of the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee to [...]

US District Judge Sara Ellis on Friday ordered federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to limit use force, prohibiting riot-control weapons against journalists or protestors except under specific and narrow conditions.  The preliminary injunction is the latest in an ongoing court battle that started with a class action suit alleging First Amendment violations, filed [...]

The Danish government announced on Friday a national minimum age requirement of 15 years for “certain” social media platforms. The Ministry of Digitalization describes the implementation as “groundbreaking,” noting that Denmark is the first EU country to establish such an age limit on social media. The agreement prohibits children under 15 from self-registering on platforms [...]

A year after the leftist National People’s Power (NPP) coalition won an unprecedented supermajority in Sri Lanka’s November 2024 parliamentary elections—with support from both the majority Sinhala and minority Tamil communities—it has fallen short in terms of delivering on its sweeping promises. As the first party to govern Sri Lanka outside the two-party system, the [...]

The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries warned Friday of the increasing use of mercenaries and private military and security companies (PMSCs) as “proxy actors” in both conflict and peacetime settings. These private actors reportedly facilitate violence and human rights violations worldwide. In its latest report to the UN General Assembly, the working [...]

Cornell University announced on Friday that it has reached a settlement with US President Donald Trump’s administration to adopt the administration’s interpretation of federal civil rights laws, and to pay $60 million. In exchange, the federal government will restore Cornell’s federal research funding and end ongoing investigations. President Michael I. Kotlikoff wrote: “The decades-long research [...]

Amnesty International has accused Tunisian authorities of intensifying abuses against sub-Saharan migrants through violent policing, expulsions, and discriminatory laws that violate fundamental human rights. The organization said Tuesday that European governments risk complicity in these violations by continuing to fund Tunisia’s border operations. Tunisian police have carried out mass expulsions to desert areas near Libya [...]

The UN Security Council on Thursday announced its adoption of Resolution 2799, which removes two individuals, including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, from its sanctions list for figures associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda, a move widely celebrated as presaging a revival of Syria’s economy. Fourteen members of the [...]