UN experts on Thursday welcomed the adoption of a landmark declaration promoting development and peace by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The move came at the 47th ASEAN Summit, held October 26 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development Surya Deva praised the declaration, calling it an “affirmation [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Laotian government on Friday to implement key recommendations regarding enforced disappearances and violations of fundamental civil and political rights. The recommendations include ratifying effective legal measures to prevent enforced disappearance, eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in education, and applying international human rights instruments. After criticizing the [...]

UN experts warned that Israel’s offensive on Gaza will be “apocalyptic” for civilians, particularly persons with disabilities, who face aggravated consequences in the besieged enclave. The experts stressed, “eople with disabilities in Gaza are totally exhausted and traumatised. They face extreme difficulties fleeing – some people with mobility impairments are forced to crawl through rubble [...]

Amnesty International has condemned Saudi Arabia’s execution of Jalal Labbad, who was accused of crimes allegedly committed when he was a minor. Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Middle East campaigner, said: “Saudi Arabia’s execution of Jalal Labbad is deplorable and underscores the devastating toll of the authorities’ ruthless use of the death penalty in complete disregard [...]

Canada’s federal government has ordered Air Canada flight attendants back to work after a breakdown in collective bargaining talks between the airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and chief of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, announced the decision on Saturday, citing the [...]

A UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls has commended Zimbabwe for its constitutional commitment and legislative initiatives to advance gender equality, while urging stronger action to eliminate barriers that hinder the rights and opportunities of women and girls. The UN Working Group visited Zimbabwe and assessed progress and challenges in ensuring gender [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday convicted two Anti-balaka militia leaders, Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) between 2013 and 2014. Yekatom was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Ngaissona received a 12-year sentence. The ICC found that Yekatom and [...]

El Salvador’s most prominent human rights organization officially ceased operations in the country Thursday due to increasing repression against civil society groups. The organization, Cristosal, cited the “criminalization of human rights defenders, the imposition of Russian-style Foreign Agents Law (LAEX), and the weakening of institutional independence” as key reasons for its decision. While operations in [...]

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been re-arrested 124 days after being released from his first detention. Yoon was initially taken into custody in January over accusations related to martial law and was released after spending 52 days in detention. On July 6, a special counsel team petitioned the courts for a second arrest [...]

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday praised the recent advisory opinion on the climate crisis from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) as a “landmark step forward,” urging states to take meaningful action through legislation, policymaking and international cooperation. The IACHR released Advisory Opinion 32/25 on Thursday, [...]