The UN urged Iranian officials Thursday to withdraw draft legislation that would impose up to 30 years imprisonment for communicating with “foreign entities,” warning that the broadly worded measure could have long-term implications on fundamental civil liberties in the country. Commenting on the potential human rights violations that may arise if the bill is passed, [...]

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk raised concerns Wednesday about arrests and detentions of opposition members surrounding Zambia’s elections on August 13. Türk stated that “arrests and resulting court proceedings…must be fully consistent with international human rights standards, as well as Zambian domestic law.” He continued: “All detainees must be notified…of the reasons for their [...]

A New York judge issued an order Monday postponing Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial indefinitely as his attorneys push to dismiss the case on double jeopardy concerns. After Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking counts last Friday and admitted he shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, DOJ prosecutors signaled that they would pursue the maximum [...]

The UN convened young people from across the world in New York on Wednesday to deliberate on Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance. Over 600 young people discussed how AI can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the delegates put forward a “Youth-led Declaration on AI Policy and Governance” that will direct the UN’s Global Digital [...]

Civilians in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson region are experiencing a humanitarian crisis and cannot safely evacuate, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Thursday. HRW stated: “Russian and Ukrainian forces should immediately cease using antipersonnel mines…and take all feasible measures to protect civilians from mines…including by issuing effective warnings, sharing information about contaminated areas, and providing mine [...]

A federal judge on Tuesday quashed a grand jury subpoena for information about 2020 election workers in Georgia, dealing a setback to an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Various lawsuits have followed President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election and his claims of voter fraud in swing states. In Georgia, federal courts [...]

A UN expert warned Thursday that racism, xenophobia, discrimination and other forms of intolerance are entrenched across professional sports. Dr. Ashwani K.P., the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, gave her report to the Human Rights Council, saying that “sport has the extraordinary ability to bring people together… yet, sport is not isolated [...]

US nonprofit Public Citizen reported on Thursday that US President Donald Trump’s administration spent more than $11 billion on deferred resignation payouts for almost 140,000 federal employees since January 2025. The government’s Deferred Resignation Program began with an email sent to federal workers on January 28, 2025, known as the “Fork in the Road” Directive, which [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that sanctions against Francesca Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer and UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, will remain in place while her legal challenge continues. In July 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions under Executive Order [...]

A group of UN independent experts on Wednesday denounced the assassination of human rights advocate Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize, and urged South Africa to hold perpetrators accountable. The experts, referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, stated: We urge South Africa to ensure a prompt, effective, impartial and thorough investigation into the [...]