Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Argentina of putting in place a “techno-authoritarian” surveillance infrastructure without adequate legal safeguards, as the government’s newly created AI security unit expands state monitoring powers over citizens’ online communications and physical movements.  In a new report, the rights group stated that Argentina‘s Ministry of Security spent at least USD$1.2 million [...]

Myanmar announced on Saturday that it had undertaken steps to receive Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and will continue working with the country to support the return of those it verifies as former residents of Rakhine State, maintaining that the repatriation process should be handled primarily as a bilateral matter between Myanmar and Bangladesh, and not [...]

Türkiye’s parliament on Monday announced that it has passed a new law creating conditional legal mechanisms for certain members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The shift signifies an advance for the government’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative and a potential de-escalation in the country’s decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants. The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social [...]

A coalition of 78 civil rights, labor, consumer protection, technology accountability and community organizations on Monday urged the US Senate to remove existing artificial intelligence (AI) sandbox provisions from the proposed Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act), warning that the measure could allow financial institutions to test AI systems without legal protections for consumers, [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday condemned a deadly airstrike by the Russia’s-Africa Corps in central Mali, saying the strike appeared to be an arbitrary attack that may have violated international humanitarian law. The Russian government-controlled Africa Corps launched the airstrike that killed eight civilians, including three children, on June 15. The strike hit the [...]

UN human rights experts on Wednesday raised alarm over reports of torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention of members of Iran’s Bahá’í religious minority amid the ongoing US-Iran war. The UN experts say that approximately 57 Bahá’ís are currently detained or imprisoned in Iran. They report claims of arbitrary and incommunicado detention, physical and psychological [...]

A group of federal employees and their union on Thursday requested that a federal court temporarily bar Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins from sending official communications that “proselytize, promote, or favor any particular religion” to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees while their constitutional challenge proceeds. The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed in [...]

Amnesty International on Tuesday called on authorities to immediately release dozens of people detained in Egypt over their alleged involvement with Gen Z002, a Discord-based group used to discuss political issues, criticize government policies, and hold discussions about bringing meaningful change to the country. In January, Gen Z002 organized an online poll titled “Popular Referendum [...]

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court held its first hearing Sunday in a national security case involving 19 defendants accused of forming and operating a terrorist organization linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The case concerns 19 individuals, of whom 11 are currently in custody and eight remain at large. Prosecutors allege the group sought [...]

Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a constitutional initiative to cap the country’s permanent resident population at 10 million by 2050, with 54% opposing the measure in a national referendum, and with voter turnout exceeding 58%—evidence of strong democratic engagement, according to the Federal Council, the Swiss cabinet. The initiative aimed to constitutionally cap Switzerland’s permanent [...]