The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan passed a bill modeled after Russia’s “foreign agents” law on Thursday, increasing the government’s oversight of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The law will require anyone receiving foreign donations to label themselves a “foreign representative” and follow tighter guidelines when documenting their activities. The bill specifically targets NGOs receiving foreign funding, and it requires [...]

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) indicted former Syrian Vice President Rifaat al-Assad on Tuesday, referring him to the Federal Criminal Court for trial. The OAG accused al-Assad of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving as commander of the defense brigades and commander of operations in the Syrian city of [...]

Reports of bias incidents in New Jersey increased by 22 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to preliminary data released by the state’s attorney general Thursday. The preliminary data shows there were 2,699 bias incidents reported to New Jersey law enforcement in 2023. Anti-black and anti-Jewish bias remained the most common motivations for racial and [...]

At least 126 human rights defenders were murdered in the Americas in 2023, according to a statement published Tuesday by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). The IACHR stated that this high violence rate was directed toward land and environment defenders, leaders of indigenous communities and leaders of communities of African descent. In the [...]

Türkiye bears responsibility for the human rights abuses and potential war crimes committed by Turkish and proxy forces in Turkish-occupied northern Syria, according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The 74-page report documents various abuses, including abductions, sexual violence and torture, by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Military Police. “Ongoing [...]

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) published its first gender pay gap report Tuesday, releasing data on nearly 5,000 private sector employers in Australia. WGEA, an Australian government agency responsible for improving gender equality in the workplace, published the base salary and total renumeration median gender pay gaps for employers with at least 100 employees. According [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of South Carolina filed a lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) on Thursday, claiming the department’s ban on news media interviews for incarcerated people violates the First Amendment to the US Constitution. The department’s policy explicitly prohibits “personal contact interviews” with inmates, and in [...]

The UN called for measures to address the tribal violence in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, urging the country to adequately address the heightened violence between tribes in its Highland region. The organization called on the nation’s government to engage with local leaders to establish peace and promote human rights. UN Human Rights Office spokesperson [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia filed two lawsuits Thursday against the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) on behalf of two transgender students challenging the department’s 2023 model policies. Virginia law authorizes VDOE to issue model policies regarding the treatment of transgender students, and the policies are required to reflect “evidence-based best practices” for [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Pakistani authorities Monday to ensure a peaceful transition of power following the country’s parliamentary elections, encouraging all political parties to uphold democratic norms and cooperate with an independent investigation into alleged election irregularities. HRW claimed the national parliamentary elections that took place February 8 were “marred” by authorities’ widespread violations [...]