The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) opened a trial Tuesday at the British Columbia Supreme Court (BCSC) challenging the 2024 Legal Professions Act (LPA), with petitioners arguing the new legislation threatens the bar’s independence. The Attorney General of British Columbia provided a written submission which called the LSBC’s position “indefensible in our representative democracy,” [...]

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged comedians who performed at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival to address the nation’s dire human rights situation, and raise awareness of unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and rights activists. HRW pressed comedians to “express their support for free speech by urging the release of Saudi activists unjustly imprisoned,” [...]

On Tuesday, Amnesty International condemned Türkiye’s arrest and imprisonment of Enes Hocaoğulları, a LGBTQ+ activist who criticized rights violations committed during mass protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Amnesty International called the arrest arbitrary and claimed Hocaoğulları must be “immediately and unconditionally released,” arguing that Hocaoğulları was protected by his right to [...]

UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced his support on Tuesday for recent American-led efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Responding to a journalist’s question about Monday’s meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, and several European leaders, Stéphane Dujarric, Gueterres’ spokesperson, stressed the importance that “all involved continue to stay actively [...]

Vocal Africa and other human rights organizations condemned alleged police corruption in Kenya on Wednesday, calling for a complete disbandment of the country’s National Police Service (NPS). The group statement demanded “urgent, fearless, and total disbandment and recruitment of police in Kenya,” arguing that the existing system is “irredeemably broken.” It rejected more moderate proposals [...]

A coalition of 15 rights groups, including Amnesty International, Article 19 and Politics for Women Myanmar, released a joint public statement on Tuesday, expressing concern over reports of an ever-worsening human rights crisis in Myanmar prisons. The letter condemned the military regime for its widespread use of torture and the systematic denial of healthcare to [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday condemned the arrest of Yemeni journalist Abduljabar Bajabeer after his July 28 arrest in the Hadramout governorate. The CPJ called for Yemen’s Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) to release Bajabeer and cease intimidation against journalists. The CPJ’s chief programs officer, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, called the arrest [...]

The Arakan Army, an armed group operating in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, has implemented repressive policies targeting the Rohingya minority, in violation of international law, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated on Monday. In its statement, the humanitarian organization described life for the Rohingya under the rule of the Arakan Army as “harsh and restrictive.” “The [...]

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on two commercial cargo ships in the Red Sea between July 6 and July 9. HRW characterized the attacks as violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes, and called for their immediate cessation. “It is critical for concerned governments [...]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a report on Monday assessing the state of public media across 27 EU member states, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. The report warns of future threat scenarios for independent public media broadcasting as the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is set to fully come into force on August 8. “Public media must [...]