UN human rights experts on Monday condemned what they described as escalating repression against the Khmer Krom people in Vietnam, urging authorities to cease targeting minority communities through security laws, and to release those detained for peaceful activity. The experts reported that Khmer Krom rights defenders, including Theravada Buddhist monks, face systemic harassment and criminalization [...]

Overnight Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities killed at least 10-14 civilians, including children, hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began talks with US President Donald Trump on potential solutions to end the war, according to reports Monday. UNICEF condemned the attacks, urging an end to strikes on populated areas after confirming “more young lives lost and [...]

Five Al Jazeera staff correspondents are reported to have been killed late Sunday in a targeted Israeli strike on a press tent outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital. The reported strike killed journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa. A freelance journalist, Mohammad al-Khaldi, was also killed, [...]

A UN expert reported Tuesday to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that organized criminal activity has displaced at least 1.2 million people globally in 2024, creating a neglected humanitarian crisis with profound legal implications. Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons Paula Gaviria Betancur outlined how organized crime, which includes trafficking, extortion, [...]

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council on Thursday that Yemen faces economic “free fall” and escalating conflict risks, demanding urgent humanitarian and diplomatic interventions. Amid the Houthi attacks on Israel and retaliatory strikes by Israel on Yemeni infrastructure, Grundberg stressed that fragile frontlines threaten renewed violence, particularly in Marib. Grundberg [...]

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission on Sunday to restore the registration of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, overturning a 2013 ban imposed by the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The June 1 ruling clears the path for the Islamist group to participate in future elections, which are expected to take place by June [...]

A Thai court on Monday issued arrest warrants for 17 individuals, including construction executives and engineers, on charges of felony negligence leading to death in relation to the collapse of a thirty-story skyscraper in Bangkok during the March 28 earthquake, according to local media. The partially built State Audit office tower crumbled within seconds after [...]

The Indian Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court’s order directing the Wikimedia Foundation to remove a page detailing a defamation lawsuit filed by Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI), upholding the fundamental right to free speech under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution and public scrutiny. A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice [...]

UN human rights experts on Monday called on the Council of Europe to begin the negotiation on initiating a binding protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights recognizing the right to a healthy environment. Europe must respond decisively to science, justice, and its citizens, the experts stated, noting that youth and marginalized communities disproportionately [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried the escalating obstacles in accessing abortion, contraception and comprehensive sexual education for Romanian women and girls in a report released on Monday. The report, titled “‘It’s Happening Even Without You Noticing’: Increasing Barriers to Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Care in Romania,” highlights the systematic failure of authorities to uphold [...]