Serious law. Primary sources. Global perspective

US President Donald Trump announced the commutation of former New York Congressman George Santos’ prison sentence on Friday, ordering his immediate release. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump argued that Santos had been “horribly mistreated” in prison and that his sentence was excessive. He also referenced Santos’ history of supporting the Republican Party, [...]

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on Southeast Asian and global leaders gathering for the ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month to take a firm stand against Myanmar’s military junta and its plan to hold national elections in December, describing the process as a “sham” that would further [...]

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The UK Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that the British activist group Palestine Action may proceed with its legal challenge against the government’s decision to ban it under the Terrorism Act 2000. Judge Sue Carr rejected the Home Office’s attempt to block the review, allowing co-founder Huda Ammori to bring the case before the [...]

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Amnesty International on Thursday released Left Behind in the Storm, a report showing that Bangladesh is failing to ensure equal access to safe water and sanitation for Dalit women sanitation workers in Khulna and Satkhira as climate impacts intensify. The report cited April–June field interviews with 22 workers, site visits to reverse-osmosis points and tube [...]

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A group of 78 rights organizations on Friday issued a joint statement condemning US sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organizations, raising concern over implications in the enforcement of international law. Signed by major rights groups including Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the statement said that the [...]

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Amnesty International on Friday voiced concern over the possible closure of the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the Central African Republic due to a lack of funding. The rights group stated that it would lead to a catastrophic blow to prospects of thousands of victims and survivors in securing justice for serious crimes committed over [...]

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US District Judge Sara Ellis ordered federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to wear body cameras during enforcement activity, and all interactions with the public.  This new order follows a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) by Judge Ellis last week, and will now be in effect until November 6. Judge Ellis reasoned that this modified [...]

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The United Nations condemned the military takeover in Madagascar on Thursday, and called for an immediate restoration of constitutional order and the rule of law. This follows the ouster of President Andry Rajoelina by an elite army unit known as CAPSAT. The Secretary General also urged all the stakeholders to work together to tackle the [...]

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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged both Taliban and Pakistani authorities on Thursday to investigate the killing of Afghan journalist Abdul Ghafor Abed. Abed, a provincial reporter for Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), was killed on October 15 while covering cross-border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces in  Zazai Maidan district of Afghanistan’s Khost [...]

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Amnesty International’s deputy regional director or the Middle East and North Africa, Hussein Baoumi, urged UN member states on Thursday to confront Iranian authorities over increasing “weaponization” of the death penalty in the country. Baoumi noted that over 1,000 people have been executed in Iran since the start of 2025—an average of four a day. [...]

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