UN experts on Monday raised alarm over allegations of poor conditions, inhumane treatment, and other international law violations at a Belarus detention center. Following confidential meetings with a Navapolatsk Correctional Colony psychologist, experts heard reports of “detainees…subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, disciplinary sanctions and physical punishments after suicide attempts, denial  of essential medical care.” Detainees [...]

The Japanese government on Tuesday approved revisions to its defense equipment and technology framework, lifting restrictions on overseas weapons exports. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated: “In today’s increasingly severe security environment, no country can safeguard its own peace and security alone.” She expressed support for providing partnered and allied countries with defensive technology and equipment. [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and several other human rights organizations on Thursday issued a joint statement urging the government of the Republic of Maldives to withdraw plans to end its death penalty moratorium and introduce capital punishment for drug-related crimes. HRW warned that the Maldives’ recent proposal would violate its obligations under international law, including [...]

Haitian National Police on Monday announced the arrest of five people and two employees of the Institute for the Safeguarding of National Heritage (ISPAN) involved in a stampede at the Citadelle Laferrière. The incident at the mountaintop heritage site was reportedly a result of “severe overcrowding, linked in particular to deficiencies in crowd management measures” [...]

Amnesty International on Monday urged Venezuelan authorities to ensure that a newly enacted amnesty law is employed justly and impartially, following reports of arbitrary application. The rights group expressed concerns that Venezuelan courts have selectively applied the law, which grants “full and general” amnesty for people detained or convicted for political offenses. While many political [...]

Australia’s online safety regulator on Tuesday raised concerns over compliance by major social media platforms with the country’s social media ban for minors, warning that it is currently investigating the matter. The regulatory body, eSafety, released a compliance report showing “a number of poor practices that give rise to compliance concerns,” including “enabling” minors to [...]

The EU on Monday announced that it will extended a number of sanctions and restrictive measures on Iran in response to human rights violations in the country. The sanction package, according to a Council of the European Union press release, involves a “travel ban and an asset freeze” and a ban on the export of [...]

The United Nations human rights chief, at an emergency UN Human Rights council debate on Friday, strongly condemned the US-Israeli bombing of the Iranian elementary school on February 28. He called on Israel, the United States, and Iran to end attacks and “return to negotiations.” On February 28, a missile struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ school [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Friday expressed concern over the targeted shooting of an Ecuadoran journalist and called on authorities to continue investigating the matter. The group reported that two gunmen shot journalist José Vinces in the stomach while he investigated a tip that human remains lay abandoned in the Huaquillas cemetery. Vinces [...]

The United Nations on Tuesday warned that Somalia’s hunger levels and acute food insecurity have steeply risen, almost doubling since last year, putting millions of children at risk of malnutrition. An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) monitoring analysis report found: “Worsening drought, conflict and insecurity, and soaring food prices have driven a sharp deterioration [...]