Search Results for: Russia and Human Rights

Amnesty Intentional reported Tuesday that widespread outages of essential services amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left residents without heat, electricity, or running water during severe winter conditions. The report cites numerous testimonies from Ukrainian civilians that detail worsening conditions in a particularly harsh winter. Living in dangerously cold weather, and with [...]

UN human rights experts on Wednesday decried Russia’s conviction of nine International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, calling the ruling a “flagrant violation of international law.” Following a trial held in absentia, the Moscow City Court on December 12, 2025, sentenced Prosecutor Karim Khan and eight ICC judges under the Russian Criminal Code for “unlawfully prosecuting [...]

This interview with Frédéric Mégret—Professor of International Law at McGill University and a leading scholar on the relationship between law, violence, and armed conflict—was conducted at a moment when autonomous weapons systems and artificial intelligence have moved from speculative concern to operational reality. As AI-enabled targeting systems proliferate across battlefields from Ukraine to Gaza, and [...]

A UN expert urged states to recognize hostage-taking as a crime against humanity on Thursday. The statement comes as a preparatory committee is drafting a treaty on crimes against humanity. The Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on states participating in the negotiations to include hostage-taking as a crime against humanity in the [...]

The European Union (EU) has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization following a violent crackdown on protesters that killed thousands in recent weeks. The designation was adopted by EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday, and places the IRGC under the bloc’s terrorism framework. EU officials framed the designation [...]

The Budapest 5th and 13th District Prosecutor’s Office brought charges Wednesday against the city’s Mayor Gergely Karácsony for organizing last year’s June 28 Pride March that violated a police prohibition order enforcing an anti-LGBTQ+ law passed by Hungary’s national authorities. The charge accused Karácsony of calling on the public to participate in the Pride March [...]

The global security system is creaking under the weight of crises it can’t seem to manage. Wars grind on in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere. The Security Council is paralyzed by veto politics. The Secretary‑General is criticized from all sides. And into this moment of institutional fatigue steps a new player: President Trump’s “Board of [...]

Two media outlets reported Monday on states’ abuses of Interpol red notices to target political dissidents and human rights defenders. Amnesty International urged Interpol to address this “grave institutional failure” and improve its transparency. Disclose, a French investigative media outlet, reported that Interpol has disclosed to the public less than 10 percent of the 86,000 [...]

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Tuesday condemned the Russian Federation’s latest large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have caused mass power and heating outages in many major cities, including Kyiv and Odesa.  Türk described the attacks as “cruel” and warned that “they must stop.” He added: “Civilians are bearing the brunt of [...]

UN Secretary General António Guterres issued a statement Friday strongly condemning Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine following Moscow’s firing of its medium-range nuclear-capable “Oreshnik” ballistic missile. The Secretary-General’s office stated: “These attacks have resulted in significant civilian casualties and deprived millions of Ukrainians of essential services, including electricity, heating and water at a [...]