UN refugee agency urges Ghana to cease forced return of Burkina Faso refugees
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Wednesday said it was concerned about reports that hundreds of Burkinabe refugees, including women and children, fleeing to Ghana were being deported. For the past few years, Burkina Faso has been experiencing violence and terrorist attacks from extremist groups in many cities. According to UNHCR, more than 17,500 [...]
The Parliament of Ghana passed an extreme anti-gay bill on Wednesday, which is set to tighten laws against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ghana’s 275 members of Parliament unanimously passed the bill, known as the 2021 Promotion of Appropriate Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. The bill is set to criminalize the promotion, advocacy, funding [...]
Ghana dispatch: my summer clerkship in Accra is already reshaping my worldview
Thalia Clerveau is a 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She files this dispatch from Accra. This is the first in a seasonal series of columns by JURIST law student staff and correspondents discussing their summer work in support of justice, human rights and the rule of law, in their own countries [...]
The number of judicial executions recorded globally in 2022 reached the highest figure in five years, according to Amnesty International’s annual review of the death penalty, released Monday. Excluding the untold thousands believed to have taken place in China, a total of 883 executions were recorded across 20 countries, marking a 53% increase from the [...]
Ghana’s military Thursday denied allegations of killing at least 10 civilians during deployment on an anti-terrorism operation in the town of Bawku, Upper East Region. The accusations came after a number of civilians were killed during the military’s presence in the town. Locals recalled seeing military personnel shooting and arresting various people. Previous extremist activity [...]
Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland join UN Security Council
The UN Security Council Tuesday welcomed new members Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland. This is the first time Mozambique and Switzerland have held seats in the security council. The council consists of 15 countries. Five of them–China, France, Russia, the UK and the US–are permanent members with veto powers. The other ten members are elected [...]
International Monetary Fund and Ghana continue negotiations for financial assistance
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Thursday released a statement announcing “good progress” following meetings with Ghana representatives discussing a new IMF program for the African nation. The parties also held talks on the subject in Ghana this fall. Ghana received previous financial assistance from the IMF through an extended credit facility arrangement from 2015 to [...]
What is Happening in Sri Lanka? The dynasty has fallen. After protesters stormed the presidential palace and the private residences of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former announced his resignation while the latter offered to follow suit. For some, the anger burgeoned as Sri Lanka‘s economy spiraled into a [...]
UN chief supports permanent seat on security council for African country
UN chief António Guterres Thursday expressed his support for an African country to be given a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC). He admitted that Africa as a continent was underrepresented when it came to international matters and thus it would be only fair for an African country to have a permanent seat [...]
UN Security Council fails to adopt Russia-drafted resolution for humanitarian aid in Ukraine
The UN Security Council Wednesday failed to adopt a Russia-drafted resolution for civilian protection and humanitarian aid access to those impacted by the war in Ukraine which failed to mention Russia’s role in creating the war. Of the 15 UN Security Council members, only Russia and China voted in favor. The other 13 members abstained. [...]
