Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Thursday that Chinese authorities are increasing their pressure on ‘underground’ Catholic communities to join the state-controlled church. The recent intensification includes subjecting clergy to intense political or ideological training. Greater restrictions have also been imposed on religious activities on official church premises, including registration requirements for church services and the [...]

A group of seven UN experts expressed alarm on Wednesday about a new law aimed at repressing LGBTQ+ voices and proponents of human and women’s rights in Belarus. The experts were concerned that this repression would breed further harassment and marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and other minority groups: This law represents a dangerous escalation. [...]

Amnesty International called the conviction and sentencing of 19 activists participating in a peaceful protest a “travesty of justice,” in a press release on Tuesday. The protest was intended to raise awareness of and to help end human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.  Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, [...]

Singaporean authorities are scheduled on Thursday to execute a man convicted of importing just over a kilogram of cannabis across the country’s border in a case that has drawn urgent condemnation from human rights organizations, the European Union, and a growing chorus of international observers. Omar bin Yacob Bamadhaj, 41, was arrested in 2018 after [...]

A panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday ordered a federal judge to end his contempt investigation concerning the Trump administration’s Venezuelan migrant deportation flights. In a 2-1 decision, the majority ruled that Chief Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court for the District of Columbia abused [...]

UN experts warned Tuesday that proposed French legislation to target antisemitism, dubbed the PPL Yadan Bill, could jeopardize freedom of expression. The experts stated: “Criminal law should not suppress different views about current or past events, however inaccurate, unpopular, or shocking, unless such expression is intended to incite violence and is objectively likely to do [...]

Haitian National Police on Monday announced the arrest of five people and two employees of the Institute for the Safeguarding of National Heritage (ISPAN) involved in a stampede at the Citadelle Laferrière. The incident at the mountaintop heritage site was reportedly a result of “severe overcrowding, linked in particular to deficiencies in crowd management measures” [...]

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Brazil’s former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem on Monday after he fled Brazil to avoid a 16-year prison sentence for his role in an alleged coup attempt. The detention was first brought to light by a Brazilian senator. ICE confirmed Ramagem’s detention through its online detainee database but offered [...]

Amnesty International on Monday urged Venezuelan authorities to ensure that a newly enacted amnesty law is employed justly and impartially, following reports of arbitrary application. The rights group expressed concerns that Venezuelan courts have selectively applied the law, which grants “full and general” amnesty for people detained or convicted for political offenses. While many political [...]

Several protestors were detained in New York City on Monday in a demonstration protesting US military support of Israel during the ongoing conflict with Iran. Anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace said police detained over 90 demonstrators. New York City police released a statement saying there were “multiple” arrests but did not provide an exact [...]