Siddhi Joshi and Ananya Kohli contributed to this report.  South Sudanese authorities arrested 22 political and military personnel in violation of human rights obligations in mid-February, according to a Thursday statement by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group called on South Sudanese authorities to cease arbitrary detentions of opposition leaders, reveal their whereabouts and ensure that [...]

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) plans to halve the food rations to $6 a month per refugee starting next month. Amnesty International on Thursday called on the international community to step up and support the WFP to avoid a devastating impact on the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.  With 95 percent of Rohingya households dependent [...]

A coalition of Democratic-led states filed a complaint Thursday against the Trump administration for sweeping layoffs across the Education Department, saying it amounts to an illegal dismantling of an agency created by Congress. The Attorney Generals (AGs) for Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, [...]

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and seven other students of Columbia University filed a complaint on Thursday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York to block the university from releasing student or student-worker disciplinary records in relation to 11 specific incidents to the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned on Thursday that Türkiye’s newly approved cybersecurity bill could undermine press freedom by criminalizing legitimate reporting and granting the government extensive surveillance powers over cyberspace. The CPJ criticized the new law for imposing a prison sentence of two to five years for any individual who “knowingly creates or [...]

The administration of US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to partially lift three nationwide injunctions that have blocked the implementation of an executive order on birthright citizenship, according to court documents filed Thursday. Birthright citizenship is the legal principle that grants automatic US citizenship to nearly anyone born on US soil. Narrow [...]

A report presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday found that Israel’s military operations in Gaza since October 7, 2023 have disproportionately impacted Palestinian women and girls, through their systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence. The report, which was presented by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on [...]

Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized the proposed European Union “Returns Regulation” for undocumented migrants as “cruel and unrealistic” for allowing longer detention and harsher treatment. The European Commission seeks to establish standardized return procedures so that returns of migrants can be more efficient while still respecting fundamental human rights. For instance, the proposed rule [...]

US federal agencies must rehire tens of thousands of fired probationary employees after a federal judge ruled Thursday their firings were carried out unlawfully. US District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction, which broadened the previous temporary restraining order. Apart from reinstating the fired workers, the order also requires government agencies [...]

The Peruvian Congress approved Wednesday a controversial reform to the 2002 legislation that created the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI) and oversees international aid. The amendment received widespread criticism from human rights organizations, alleging that it hinders the ability of civil society groups to sue the government for human rights violations. The amendment expands [...]