Alexandra Bennett, UN General Assembly Hall, March 2026

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday to improve the efficiency and implementation of mandates across the UN system. The resolution includes a series of reforms outlining how the General Assembly, working groups, and other entities within the UN will develop and effect mandates which guide member states. The reforms range from requiring [...]

Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The EU on Monday announced that it will extended a number of sanctions and restrictive measures on Iran in response to human rights violations in the country. The sanction package, according to a Council of the European Union press release, involves a “travel ban and an asset freeze” and a ban on the export of [...]

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Donatas Dabravolskas, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The UN special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants on Monday commended Brazil’s migration framework for providing strong protections for refugees and asylum seekers, equally guaranteeing fundamental human rights irrespective nationality, while urging further action to ensure that practices fully align with international human rights standards. In a statement concluding a 10-day visit to [...]

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Parliament of Zimbabwe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Amnesty International on Monday urged Zimbabwean authorities to guarantee freedom of expression and safety during upcoming public hearings on proposed constitutional amendments. Speaking ahead of the public hearings on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 3) Bill, 2026, Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for east and southern Africa, said past incidents of violence and [...]

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Clema12, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) on Monday denounced a proposed Israeli death penalty bill, which recently underwent a second and third reading in the Knesset, claiming it represents “an extreme escalation in Israel’s genocidal policies against Palestinians.”  Órlaith Roe, the ICJP’s public affairs and communications officer, spoke critically of the proposed legislation, [...]

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Rigos101, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Human Rights Watch published a report Monday identifying numerous programs throughout the US that provide alternatives to traditional police response for emergency mental health crises. The report, “‘Self-Determination is the Pathway to Liberation’: Alternative Mental Health Crisis Response in the United States,” surveyed 150 non-police crisis response programs across the US. Focusing on eight of [...]

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Since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, world politics have been shaped by sovereignty-centered belligerence. When considered over time, especially as technologies of military destruction become more widespread and indiscriminate, this seventeenth-century system of competitive nationalism portends one overarching deficit: It is destined to fail. What should be done, especially by the world’s “superpowers” and [...]

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The International Criminal Court (ICC), established under the Rome Statute, has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, destruction of historic and religious monuments, and witness intimidation. It has prosecuted several individuals for these crimes, and in 2024, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the [...]

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The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violates the First Amendment when applied to counselors who use only talk therapy, a landmark decision with sweeping implications for how states regulate speech by licensed health care professionals. The court voted 8-1 to reverse a lower court ruling that had [...]

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Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday reported that the Iranian government has repeatedly used “inherently indiscriminate cluster munitions” in ballistic missile attacks on Israel since the Iran-Israel conflict began on February 28.  According to HRW, at least four civilians have been killed in the repeated strikes, which violate the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva [...]

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