On Thursday, Amnesty International warned that South Korea’s abortion framework did not go far enough to protect women’s reproductive health and rights. Amnesty International’s call for improved protections for women came in response to an appellate decision by the Seoul High Court that acquitted a 26-year-old woman who had been charged with murder, overturning an [...]

Rights in Belarus are still threatened despite a recent release of political prisoners, Special Rapporteur Nils Muižnieks said on Monday. Muižnieks welcomed the release of over 400 individuals, but said that the human rights situation has not improved, stating that “sustainable progress requires an end to politically motivated repression and accountability for past violations”. In [...]

On Tuesday, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, spoke at the fifth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, where he described reparations as “key to dismantling systemic racism.” Türk called for member states to adopt and enforce anti-racism laws, policies and practices; include young people of African descent [...]

Press rights groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Media Rights Organization (MRA), and International Press Centre, on Friday condemned the March 21 beating of Nigerian journalist Muhammad Sani Adamu in Bauchi state by local police. The CPJ called for authorities to transparently conduct investigations and hold [...]

Amnesty International cautioned in a report on Wednesday that there has been a “chilling effect” on the right to freedom of expression in Austria due to the authorities’ harsh response to activism by protestors and civil rights organizations “expressing solidarity” with Palestinians. The report maintains that undue restrictions on expression and “fear caused by broad [...]

Amnesty International on Monday urged tech company Meta to address concerns over harmful online content on Facebook, citing risk of sectarian tensions, discrimination and violence against minority communities in Bangladesh. The rights group described a troubling rise in “misleading and inflammatory content spread in relation to political parties and minority communities.” Alia Al Ghussain, Amnesty [...]

Istanbul mayor and Turkish opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu went on trial Monday, accused of establishing an “İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profit” that operated parallel to and was concealed by his official duties. İmamoğlu faces charges including corruption, defrauding public institutions, bribery, extortion, and laundering proceeds of crime. His case is part of a mass trial [...]

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted, abused, and killed people with disabilities during their October 26 takeover of the long-besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur province. The RSF deliberately targeted people with disabilities, often accusing them of being members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday urged international organizations and the Congolese government to ensure that civilians in the eastern city of Uvira are protected from abuse by Wazalendo militias, following the withdrawal of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group from the city. “Congolese authorities should act quickly to restore security and ensure the protection of [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Thai government on Wednesday to drop charges against Murray Hunter, an Australian journalist accused of defaming the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). HRW stated that criminal defamation laws are incompatible with Thailand’s obligation to protect the right to free expression, and that the case demonstrates the Thai government’s [...]