UN and regional human rights experts on Friday urged states to halt the criminalization of protesters and civil society activists, following what they called a pattern of arbitrary arrests and persecution worldwide. In a joint declaration, experts stressed that the foundational pillars of democracy–namely freedom of assembly and association–must be protected and not treated as [...]

Thousands of people on Sunday protested in the Turkish capital of Ankara over a court case that could reshape the main opposition party after a year of legal battles concerning the arrest of opposition party members. On Monday the court will decide whether it will invalidate the 2023 congress of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) [...]

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted on Friday to endorse a declaration establishing a roadmap towards a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. The “New York Declaration,” first proposed in July, would include an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state. Ten countries, [...]

Thousands of Brazilians protested in the streets on Sunday as former president Jair Bolsonaro’s trial verdict for an alleged attempted coup nears. Currently under house arrest, Bolsonaro was charged in January with organizing a coup following the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to current president Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro and several accomplices were charged [...]

A coalition of rights groups on Monday urged the UK to incorporate human rights protections before signing a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), amid documentation of abuses faced by migrant workers across these countries. In a joint statement, the groups urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to include human rights conditions in the [...]

The National Assembly of the autonomous Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) on Friday voted to call for a referendum on a federal court’s decision to ban the entity’s former president from holding office. In a late-night session, the assembly rejected the decision of BiH’s Central Election Commission to terminate Milorad Dodik’s mandate, declaring [...]

A US appeals court on Friday upheld a 2023 suspension of a 98-year-old judge who refused to take medical evaluations, preventing cases from being assigned to her. The D.C. Circuit held that it had no authority to review most of Judge Pauline Newman’s claims due to Section 357(c) of the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act, [...]

Hundreds of people demonstrated Saturday in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, pressing for the self-determination of the Druze people. Protesters demanded full independence from Syria, dismissing ideas of federalism or autonomy as inadequate. Speakers at the protest argued that statehood would guarantee their security, citing recent episodes of violence as evidence that inter-ethnic coexistence [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday condemned the five-year prison sentence handed down to Remi Rowhani, a Baha’i religious dignitary, following a a months-long trial by Qatari authorities. Rowhani was charged for promoting an ideology that casts doubt on the foundations of Islam, with the accusation stemming from several social media posts by members of [...]

A Ugandan judge on Friday denied bail to opposition figure Kizza Besigye, jailed for nearly nine months on treason charges, ruling that the constitutionally mandated 180-day remand had not reached term. Justice Emmanuel Baguma held that the High Court recognized the remand period to be February 21, 202—the date Besigye and businessman Obeid Lutale were [...]