South Korea’s Busan District Court sentenced a man to 15 years in prison on Friday for attempting to murder Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and for violating the Public Official Election Act, according to reports from local media. The court, presided over by Judge Kim Yong-gyun, highlighted the severity of the crime, describing it as [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Friday called for an independent investigation into the house fire that killed journalist Sempurna Pasaribu and three members of his family last month. The organization emphasized the need for accountability for the incident. CPJ’s Senior Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin stated: Indonesian authorities must leave no stone unturned [...]

The Hong Kong Court of Appeal (CA) refused on Friday to grant Jimmy Lai Chee Ying leave to appeal the lower court’s decision that the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong SAR (NSC) is not amenable to judicial review. The court further expressed its disapproval of the applicant’s “unreasonable litigation conduct” as [...]

The Chief Justice of the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick ruled on Friday that the Anglophone East District Education Council does not have the legal standing to challenge changes to Policy 713, a gender identity policy made by the provincial government. Sitting in the provincial Court of King’s Bench, Chief Justice Tracey DeWare ruled [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Friday urged Algerian authorities to release two detained journalists, stating that the country must stop cracking down on press freedom. The two journalists, Omar Ferhat and Sofiane Ghirous, worked for the news website Algeria Scoop and were arrested last month. The journalists were charged with inciting hate speech [...]

Refugees and migrants face dangerous and violent conditions on routes across East and West Africa towards the Mediterranean Coast, according to a report released on Friday by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The office issued an appeal to border authorities in Africa to implement more protections for these vulnerable migrants. The [...]

Amnesty International called Thursday for Houthi authorities in Yemen to immediately release detained staff from the UN and civil society organizations. Amnesty’s call comes one month after the workers’ arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances following raids on homes and offices. According to Amnesty, Houthi authorities have detained 13 UN staff and at least 14 staff [...]

The Peruvian Congress approved a bill on Thursday that introduces a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity in the second vote, despite opposition from human rights organizations for its potential interruption of ongoing investigations into serious abuses. Bill 6951 proposes to specify the application and scope of the crime against humanity and war crimes [...]

17 political prisoners have been amnestied and pardoned in Belarus, following the signing of the Law On Amnesty in Connection with the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belarus from Nazi Invaders, the Viasna Human Rights Center (‘Viasna’) said on Friday. The Belarussian president, Aliaksandr Lukashenko, signed the new law on Tuesday. The new law [...]

Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, on Thursday reported that the Israeli government is planning the progression of 5,295 housing units across the West Bank. According to the organization, the government intends to expand not only its settlements but also the legal involvement of three outposts located in the Palestinian territory. While the Higher Planning Committee [...]