The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday said reports that citizen journalist and former lawyer Zhang Zhan has been handed a second four-year prison term on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” are “deeply disturbing,” calling for her immediate and unconditional release. “This is the second time [...]

Several medical organizations filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other government officials on Monday, alleging that a new department directive is unlawful and harms the physician-patient relationship, among other claims. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and other health organizations brought the suit in [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that the new World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty is a landmark effort, but is flawed and inadequate in its implementation mechanisms and effectiveness to combat inequalities between countries. In its statement, HRW noted that the treaty presents a unique opportunity for countries to cooperate in times of [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into former New York governor Andrew Cuomo over testimony he gave to Congress, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. The investigation stems from a transcribed interview that former Governor Cuomo gave to a Congressional Subcommittee in June 2024. In the interview, Cuomo stated that [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International on Tuesday called on the military junta of Myanmar to facilitate relief efforts and join opposition groups in a partial ceasefire. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand last Friday, devastating the Sagaing region. The official death toll is at 2,065 although experts warn the number could [...]

The recent decision by Italy’s Court of Cassation (Corte di Cassazione) in case number 27115/2024 has sparked numerous reactions due to its consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential extenuating circumstance in a femicide case. This crime, which garnered significant media attention in Italian society, involved a perpetrator who was initially sentenced to life [...]

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, post-secondary education institutions rapidly shifted to virtual learning environments: They quickly adopted virtual technology platforms and, as the pandemic oscillated in intensity, established functional, effective and integrated bimodal learning platforms (i.e., in-person lectures with an option to participate remotely). University faculties prided themselves on these rapid transitions, which allowed them [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on many aspects of our modern lives. Mandatory face masks, local and national lockdowns, and compulsory social distancing in public places have become a part of everyday routines all around the world. The pandemic has also tested the regulatory and administrative capacity of both states and international organizations to [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on December 17 in a bipartisan, 2-1 decision upheld OSHA’s vaccine-or-test requirements for the American workplace and lifted a stay previously put in place by the Fifth Circuit. Judge Jane Stranch, an Obama appointee, joined by Judge Julia Gibbons, appointed by George W. Bush, wrote that [...]

On November 16 the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati  was randomly selected by the Multi-district Litigation Panel in Washington, DC to decide whether the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for American workers, promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is legal. OSHA’s rules, which are planned to take full effect on [...]