UN member states should do more to protect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an oral statement on Thursday at the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council. These calls for urgent action come amidst a recent decree enacted by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The [...]

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, Amnesty International called on the international community to maintain a steadfast commitment to hold Russia accountable under international law for its aggressions. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the international community imposed sanctions, and used international legal tools to [...]

Amnesty Intentional reported Tuesday that widespread outages of essential services amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left residents without heat, electricity, or running water during severe winter conditions. The report cites numerous testimonies from Ukrainian civilians that detail worsening conditions in a particularly harsh winter. Living in dangerously cold weather, and with [...]

A UN expert expressed concern Thursday over what she called the failure of the UK government to enforce a critical ruling on sex-based protections. Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem commented on the government’s delayed adoption of the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Ltd v. Scottish Ministers. The decision aimed [...]

As the trial of six Italian officers in a 2023 shipwreck is set to begin Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called the proceedings a crucial opportunity for asylum seekers and migrants killed at sea to receive justice. The officers, including two Italian Coast Guard and four Customs Police officers (Guardia di Finanza), are [...]

A group of 73 South Korean nationals accused of participating in online scam operations in Cambodia were returned to South Korea on Friday. They will now face formal investigations in South Korea surrounding alleged “scam compounds.” Officials allege that the group is responsible for defrauding more than 800 South Koreans of approximately 33 million US [...]

The Australian Parliament passed a package of new gun control and expanded hate crime legislation on Tuesday, seen as measures to combat antisemitism, extremism and gun violence following last month’s Bondi Beach shooting. The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism laws realize leadership promises to enact tougher laws on firearms and hate-motivated violence. The combined acts establish [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Syrian authorities to seek accountability for abuses committed during clashes between Syrian government forces and local Bedouin and Druze groups in the Sweida region in July 2025. HRW called on Syrian authorities to hold trials that meet international fair trial standards. If authorities are “unwilling or unable” to do [...]

Saudi authorities executed at least 356 people in 2025, Human Right Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday. The mark set a new record for the highest annual number of executions in the nation since monitoring began. Saudi Arabia exceeded its execution record for the second year in a row, increasing from 345 in 2024. Most of those [...]

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will begin hearings on the merits of the Rohingya genocide case on January 12, marking a crucial stage in the process of prescribing legal accountability for the atrocities that have taken place in Myanmar since 2016. In November 2019, The Gambia requested that the court institute proceedings against Myanmar [...]