Meta, the parent company of sites such as Facebook and Instagram, Thursday released its first human rights report. The report comes amid criticism of Meta’s handling of a variety of issues on their sites. The report identified six fundamental rights that present “salient risks” including the right to freedom of expression and opinion; right to [...]

Four residents of the Indonesian island of Pulau Pari Tuesday filed a lawsuit in Switzerland against Swiss cement giant Holcim over the effects of climate change on the island. Swiss Church Aid (HEKS), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Indonesian group WALHI are backing the lawsuit. The residents claim that climate change has caused [...]

British citizens Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad Tuesday submitted sworn statements and testified to the UN’s Committee Against Torture (CAT) that they had been tortured by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE joined the UN Convention against Torture in 2012 and is therefore subject to its first compliance review, which is [...]

The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released new guidance Monday, requiring that providers allow abortion in emergency cases where the mother’s life is in danger, even in states that ban abortion. DHHS issued the guidance under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) and President Joe Biden’s new executive order. [...]

US District Court Judge Douglas Rayes Monday blocked Arizona’s “personhood” law from taking effect. Rayes found the law was too vague, making it likely that plaintiffs will win their case, justifying his injunctive order until the case is settled. Arizona’s “personhood” law was passed in 2021 and states: The laws of this state shall be [...]

US President Joe Biden Monday renewed his calls for an assault weapons ban during a ceremony to celebrate the newly passed Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The act allocates more spending for mental health and school safety programs, closes the “boyfriend loophole” and better funds crisis prevention programs. However, it does not include many of Biden’s [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Monday that Turkey violated a prior judgement in the case Kavala v. Turkey by keeping activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala in detention. The court had previously ruled that Kavala was wrongfully detained, ordering Turkey to release Kavala and pay damages. Kavala was arrested in 2017, ostensibly for [...]

The US Department of State Saturday announced visa restrictions on 28 Cuban officials allegedly involved in the violent crackdown on the July 2021 protests. This is the US’s fourth round of visa restrictions on Cuban officials. The US Department of Treasury has also instituted four rounds of financial sanctions against many of the same targets. According [...]

Non-governmental organization Public Eye, along with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa and the UNIS association, have filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland against UBS, the largest Swiss bank. The complaint filed on Friday states that UBS allowed Belgian businessman Philippe de Moerloose to launder money by possibly [...]

Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug trafficking in Khimki Russia amid accusations that she was wrongfully detained in the country. According to Russian state news agency TASS, Griner admitted her guilt but stated there was no intent to smuggle the drugs into the country. Griner is accused of [...]