UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Wednesday warned that the recent rise in the use of drones poses a risk for aid operations, emphasizing that international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on humanitarian workers and civilians, continues to apply to drone warfare regardless of how sophisticated or autonomous the weapons become. Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General [...]

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance on Friday found Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and the pair’s now-disbanded  Hong Kong Alliance, guilty of a “subversion” offense under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL). They each face up to 10 years in prison. Three NSL-designated judges unanimously ruled that the defendants’ advocacy for “the end of [...]

Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Argentina of building 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 its latest report, the rights group stated that Argentina‘s Ministry of Security spent at least USD$1.2 million on surveillance technology [...]

The State of Minnesota on Tuesday sued to compel Texas Governor Greg Abbott to extradite Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro, who faces state charges stemming from an ICE shooting in Minneapolis last January. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Tim Walz sued in the US District Court for the Southern District [...]

A bellwether federal trial began on Tuesday testing whether Meta can be held liable for designing its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, to addict youth users. The case, In re: Social Media Adolscent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Litigation, is a consolidated multi-district litigation (MDL) under 28 USC 1407. The lawsuit combines claims brought by a coalition of [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction Tuesday barring the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from conducting immigration enforcement actions at or near Quaker, Sikh and Baptist houses of worship that sued the Trump administration over the policy permitting them. The Fourth Circuit’s opinion recounts sworn declarations describing how congregations have changed [...]

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (UN Commission) reported Thursday that a rise in violence and atrocity crimes is disrupting South Sudan’s conflict resolution trajectory as the country is set to hold its first elections since independence in 2011. Under the authority of President Salva Kiir and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement [...]

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Wednesday unanimously expanded the scope of the landmark Maria da Penha Law (Law 11.340/2006), ensuring women are protected from gender-based violence not only in domestic settings but also in public, professional, political and community spaces. The STF ruled that protective measures under the law apply to all forms of [...]

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk raised concerns Wednesday about arrests and detentions of opposition members surrounding Zambia’s elections on August 13. Türk stated that “arrests and resulting court proceedings…must be fully consistent with international human rights standards, as well as Zambian domestic law.” He continued: “All detainees must be notified…of the reasons for their [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday condemned the US for its latest sanctions against Tomoko Akane, the president of the court, and Abdoulaye Seye, senior trial lawyer at the Office of the Prosecutor. The court reiterated its steadfast commitment to upholding accountability and protecting victims of international crimes. The court’s statement described the sanctions [...]