Iran authorities Thursday executed 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari for protesting the death of Mahsa Amini, according to state-affiliated source Tasnim News Agency. Shekari is the first protester to be executed since Iranians nationwide began protesting Amini’s death in police custody. Amini was arrested on September 14 for wearing her hijab improperly, taken to the hospital in [...]

The US House of Representatives Thursday issued final approval to the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to federally recognize same-sex marriages, in a vote of 258 to 169. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden for approval. The Respect for Marriage Act formally repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 bill which [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Friday condemned military courts in Myanmar for handing out over 130 death sentences in proceedings not accessible to the public. Seven college students were sentenced to death on November 30, and the UN is working to confirm four additional death sentences against youth activists on December 1.< [...]

The German Bundestag Wednesday voted to formally recognize the Holodomor, a man-made famine that decimated Ukraine in 1932 and 1933, as a genocide. According to the declaration, Soviet authorities demanded inflated quantities of grain from Ukrainian farmers and punished those who fell short with additional demands. Affected regions were cut off from the rest of [...]

Pakistan authorities Wednesday announced that the previously-banned film “Joyland” has been cleared for release. “Joyland” follows the love story between a young man and a transgender actress. On November 11, authorities announced that “Joyland” was not certified for release due to “highly objectionable material” that does not conform “with the social and moral standards” of [...]

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Wednesday voted to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Krasner, a former public defender and member of the progressive prosecutor movement, has faced sharp criticism from Pennsylvania Republicans since his election in 2021. Approved by the House Judiciary Committee yesterday, articles of impeachment against Krasner passed the full House with [...]

The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Wednesday announced the nation’s first executions in seven years. The public prosecutor carried out the death sentences of four Kuwaitis, one Syrian national, one Pakistani national and one Ethiopian national at Kuwait’s Central Prison. Those executed were each convicted of premeditated murder in additional to various other crimes. According to [...]

Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont Tuesday voted on Election Day ballot measures to end the practice of enslavement after criminal conviction. Under the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, slavery and involuntary servitude may not exist “except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” This language [...]

US voters in California, Michigan, Kentucky and Vermont Tuesday voted in favor of abortion rights in four state ballot measures. Results from Montana’s vote remain inconclusive, but abortion advocates are poised to win. In June, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with Dobbs v. Jackson Women Health Organization and ruled there is no [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Monday unsealed charges against seven leaders of five Haiti-based gangs for alleged kidnappings of US citizens in 2021 and 2022. Lanmo Sanjou and Jermaine Stephenson, alleged members of the 400 Mawozo gang, and Vitel’homme Innocent, alleged leader of the Kraze Barye gang, were charged with conspiracy to commit hostage [...]