UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk sounded an urgent alarm on Friday over the escalating ethnic violence in Sudan. Reports of ethnically motivated attacks, hate speech, and violence against civilians have become increasingly common in the ongoing conflict that has already devastated the lives of millions. Turk warned, “Retaliatory attacks — of shocking [...]

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders condemned the Ugandan government Wednesday for the arrest, torture and judicial harassment of human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza. Kiiza was arrested on January 7, at the General Court Martial in Makindye township while representing his client, opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye. Besigye, a former presidential candidate [...]

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday an agreement to repatriate approximately $52.88 million in forfeited assets to Nigeria. The assets are linked to a corruption case involving former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and her associates. Under the agreement, $50 million of the repatriated funds will be dedicated to the Distributed [...]

Ireland officially submitted a declaration of intervention on Monday in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case initiated by South Africa against Israel, concerning allegations of genocide in Gaza. In its declaration, Ireland condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, labeling them as reprehensible acts of terror and severe breaches of international law. [...]

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated on Friday that Syria’s transition to a new government must include marginalized groups if Damascus hopes to secure European support. Her remarks came during a historic visit to the Syrian capital, marking the first high-level European engagement since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad last month. Baerbock emphasized that all Syrians [...]

The UN General Assembly adopted the new United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime on Tuesday, the first international criminal justice treaty negotiated in over two decades. Adopted without a vote by the 193-member General Assembly, the convention addresses crimes committed using information and communications technology (ICT) systems. It targets offenses ranging from online fraud and hacking [...]

The United Nations on Friday raised alarms over the worsening humanitarian situation in El Fasher, capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, where a months-long siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated lives and infrastructure. According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) report, more than 782 civilians have been killed and 1,143 injured [...]

Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia were awarded the EU’s prestigious Sakharov Prize on Tuesday in recognition of their unwavering fight for democracy and human rights in the South American country. The prize, regarded as the EU’s highest tribute to defenders of freedom, was presented during a ceremony at the European [...]

The human rights situation in Ukraine has worsened significantly as intensified hostilities and systematic Russian aerial strikes target critical infrastructure, according to a report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Friday. The Sixth Interim Report on violations of international humanitarian and human rights law covered developments from June to November [...]

Human trafficking has surged globally, with a 25 percent increase in victims detected between 2019 and 2022, according to a report released on Wednesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons revealed rising child exploitation and forced labor cases fueled by poverty, conflict, and [...]