Five international rights groups are urging Algerian authorities to drop their effort to dissolve a prominent civil society group over alleged violation of the law on associations, Human Rights Watch stated in a report on Monday. The five rights organizations are Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies, the International [...]

Poland’s constitutional court ruled on Thursday that some parts of EU law are not compatible with the Polish constitution and declared that the constitution supersedes EU laws, setting off a legal crisis within the EU. The ruling was adopted by majority vote and found that Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union in conjunction with [...]

Human Rights Watch released a report on Wednesday urging the United Nations Human Rights Council to act to recognize the right to a healthy environment and stated that governments should prioritize addressing the global environmental crisis. The report addresses the statements made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who said [...]

The Biden administration announced Monday that it is reversing a controversial Trump-era rule that prohibited federally funded health care providers from making abortion referrals. The US Department of Health and Human Services issued the final regulation, which is aimed at ensuring access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services. The rule fulfills the Biden-Harris administration’s [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Friday in response to a decision by Ethiopia’s federal government to declare seven senior UN officials as “persona non grata,” meaning they are unwelcome in the country. HRW noted that this announcement comes only days after the UN chief for humanitarian relief warned that the Tigray region [...]

The Supreme Court of Belarus will hold a hearing on Thursday regarding a lawsuit filed by the Belarusian Justice Ministry to dissolve the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, according to Human Rights Watch. In the August 27 lawsuit, the country contends the Belarusian Helsinki Committee provided the ministry with inaccurate financial information. The committee is one of the [...]

The Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed the Personal Data (Privacy) (Amendment) Bill 2021 on Wednesday. The law deals with “doxxing” which is the public release of information identifying an individual or organization. The Bill was introduced to the Legislative Council in July. The law empowers The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday that she continues to be alarmed by “persistent allegations” of widespread and systematic torture of protestors in Belarus. She called on Belarus’ neighbors to protect asylum seekers after four people died near the Polish border last week amid [...]

In a statement released on Monday, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor urged Indonesia to provide West Papuan human rights defender Victor Yeimo with proper medical care to keep him from dying in prison after reports that his health had deteriorated. As part of his work, Yeimo had provided information [...]

The European Union Monday joined an outcry of international criticism over the execution of nine men by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen. In a statement,  the EU said it “strongly opposes the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a [...]