Search Results for: afghanistan election

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday released its 2023 World Report on the state of human rights. The report made clear that a rising tide of authoritarianism is a major threat to global human rights and that “unchecked authoritarian power leaves behind a sea of human suffering.” Authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin in Russia, Xi Jing [...]

In the United States and throughout the Global North, people generally take for granted that law means state courts and legal institutions. Sure, people may opt out of certain government regulations, for example, by signing an arbitration agreement, but state courts can still step in if deemed necessary. This may all seem intuitive but globally [...]

“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary…: Rabbi Hillel, Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a Israel’s continuous support for Donald J. Trump represents a grim irony of Jewish history. Even before the latest revelations concerning this former president’s anti-Semitic outbursts (that is, his [...]

In a dramatic midnight move on April 9, Pakistan’s National Assembly voted to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan in a no-confidence resolution. Minutes before voting, the Speaker of the House, a member of the ruling party and a known friend of Khan, resigned from office after waving a quasi-confidential letter at the legislators. This letter [...]

January 24 marks the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer—an occasion to reflect on lawyers worldwide who have been subjected to harassment, silencing, pressure, threats, persecution, torture, murder and disappearance. In theory, the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers aim to safeguard members of the profession, but in practice, far too many attorneys [...]

Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a Staff Correspondent for JURIST in Kabul reports on the restructuring of the Afghan government involving removal or renaming of key bodies such as the Independent Election Commission, and Independent Human Rights Commission. For privacy and [...]

The US has been elected into a 3-year term to the UN Human Rights Council by the UN General Assembly. The US ran unopposed in the election session and received 168 votes out of all 193 members in the General Assembly. The election occurred on Thursday in the Human Rights Council Office located in Geneva. The [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday that she continues to be alarmed by “persistent allegations” of widespread and systematic torture of protestors in Belarus. She called on Belarus’ neighbors to protect asylum seekers after four people died near the Polish border last week amid [...]

Even though the US State Department is issuing positive statements about the Taliban, it is hard for the US to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s lawful government. The reasons are evident and understandable. First, the Taliban have defeated the US military in a protracted war stretching over twenty years (2001-2021). The hurt in the Pentagon, [...]

JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Law students in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Here, a law student in Kabul offers his latest observations and perspective. For privacy and security reasons we are withholding his name and institutional affiliation. The text has been only lightly [...]