UN torture prevention experts on Friday urged a significant strengthening of preventive measures in Mexico, recognizing progress, but expressing particular concern over unregulated drug rehabilitation centers. The assessment was delivered by the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) following a week-long visit to the country, its first in a decade. The experts acknowledged Mexico’s [...]

The Nigerian Enugu High Court ruled Thursday that the former British colonial administration was liable for a 1949 mining incident that caused 21 deaths. Justice Anthony Onovo awarded each victim’s family £20 million in compensation, which he stated would be an “effective remedy and compensation for the violations of the right to life.” In his [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk launched an appeal Thursday to raise $400 million in 2026 to fund the UN’s objective of addressing global human rights needs and resolving violations and inequities.  Turk explained the consequences of the lack of funding in 2025, which negatively impacted the UN Human Rights Office’s ability to [...]

The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, stated on Friday that the general amnesty bill releasing political prisoners from detention will come into effect by February 13 at the latest. Speaking to family members of political prisoners who are set to be released after the law is passed, Rodríguez said that the bill had [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruled in a 7-2 decision on Friday that an exception to solicitor-client privilege may be available to lawyers to fully defend themselves against potential criminal charges. The SCC stated that a lawyer can invoke the “innocence at stake” exception when they need to access and use otherwise privileged client [...]

Amnesty International on Friday urged the European Commission to enforce the Digital Services Act (DSA) against TikTok’s addictive design and improve the safety of the social media platform. Lisa Dittmer, a researcher for the rights group, stated: Amidst current discussions of restrictions on children’s access to social media platforms, governments must remember they also have [...]

The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an interim final rule (IFR) on Friday, granting the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) expanded discretion to decline review of certain immigration cases, a move that has prompted immediate due process concerns from immigration advocates. In 2021, amid a rapidly growing backlog, the primary regulatory measure adopted to increase [...]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the “Medical Aid in Dying Act” on Friday, making New York the latest state to authorize physician-assisted dying for certain terminally ill patients. The law represents a major policy reversal in a state where the highest court had previously found that assisted suicide remained unlawful absent legislative change. The [...]

A US federal jury on Thursday ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million in compensatory damages to a passenger who alleged she was sexually assaulted by her driver, marking the first plaintiff victory in a multidistrict litigation including thousands of similar claims. Thursday’s verdict hinged on the legal theory of apparent authority, under which a company [...]

UN human rights experts expressed concern Thursday over the repeated denial of adequate medical treatment for Yang Li, a Chinese human rights defender. In the statement, the experts warned: “The arrest and indictment of Yang Li appear to represent an effort by the authorities to prevent her from peacefully exercising her rights to seek redress for [...]