Canada and South Korea signed a new defense agreement Wednesday, setting the legal framework for a deepened alliance. Defense ministers Ahn Gyu-back  of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and David McGuinty of Canada met alongside foreign affairs officials for both countries. In a joint statement, the countries described political and legal motivations behind the partnership, stating: [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday that Greece is “under fire” for a law targeting aid groups, following a “damning critique” published by five UN experts. The experts warned a Tuesday letter to the Greek government that the law would unduly restrict the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The UN experts, led by Mary Lawlor, Special [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned Wednesday that the president of Angola, João Lourenço, should not sign a new bill into law, as it could result in serious human rights violations. This bill was passed on January 22 with 106 votes in favor and 77 votes against. The rights organization expressed concern that this law would [...]

UNICEF published a statement Thursday expressing deep concern with the detention of children in Iran amid ongoing public unrest. The statement, by UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, stresses several key issues. First, the number of child detainees, and conditions they face, have not been available. Secondly, Beigbeder detailed the [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a special report Thursday containing Palestinian journalists’ first-hand accounts of torture in Israeli prisons. The stories come from 59 testimonies of released journalists. Forty-eight of them were never charged with a crime, but detained under Israeli policies allowing six-month detentions without charge, renewable indefinitely. Others were charged with [...]

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) decided Thursday to maintain its position on Sudan’s membership suspension, and identified key steps towards peace. The PSC stressed the severe humanitarian crisis in the country, citing starvation, systematic killings, and mass displacement of civilians, as well as the targeting of particular ethnic groups [...]

Amnesty International released a statement Wednesday announcing that they are a part of an appeal to Slovenia’s Constitutional Court seeking to end “punitive seizures” of social assistance disproportionately affecting the Roma community. The case was filed by the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, a coalition of four non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The case responds [...]

Armed men reportedly wearing police uniforms fired dozens of bullets at a Mozambican journalist’s vehicle, in what human rights groups are calling an assassination attempt aimed at silencing his reporting on illegal mining. Carlitos Candangue, a reporter for SOICO Television, was driving home with his son in Chimoio city on Tuesday evening when the attack [...]

New research published Thursday by two non-profit organizations, HelpAge International and Amnesty International, shows older people suffering an overlooked health crisis in occupied Gaza. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research and advocacy, explained the key facets of the situation, stating: During armed conflict, older people’s needs are often overlooked. In Gaza, older people [...]

UN officials warned on Wednesday that Haiti’s crisis has reached a critical phase as violence escalates, with entrenched criminal networks and spiralling humanitarian needs fueling national instability. Haiti is nearing the end of a foreseen political transition period, set to expire on February 7. However, the UN officials stated that efforts to restore security, democratic [...]