UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Tuesday condemned the Russian Federation’s latest large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have caused mass power and heating outages in many major cities, including Kyiv and Odesa. Türk described the attacks as “cruel” and warned that “they must stop.” He added: “Civilians are bearing the brunt of [...]
Togo’s Ministry of Justice on Tuesday confirmed the extradition of former Burkinabè transitional president Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to Burkina Faso, following accusations of corruption, embezzlement, and involvement in attempted coups against the current regime of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. On January 12, the judicial authorities in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, submitted a formal extradition request accompanied [...]
A UN expert on Tuesday urged the Guatemalan government to “take decisive steps to eliminate the instrumentalisation of its justice system once and for all,” ahead of the upcoming judicial appointment process for the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Constitutional Court and Prosecutor General. Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, stressed the [...]
The California Republican Party filed an emergency petition to the US Supreme Court on Tuesday asking for a temporary injunction against Proposition 50, a ballot initiative passed by California voters in November to redistrict the state’s Congressional map outside of its typical process. The appeal to Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees emergency petitions in the [...]
UN experts on Monday called on member states to include gender apartheid in the drafting of the treaty on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. The experts particularly referred to the situation in Afghanistan, urging states to ensure meaningful women’s participation in the drafting process. The Working Group on discrimination against women and [...]
Amnesty International on Monday demanded that the Cuban government immediately release seven prisoners held for political reasons, and permanently cease political detentions. The rights group listed the names of each prisoner, demanded their release, and denounced the country’s political-prisoner release process, criticizing its “opacity” and “absence of clear criteria and use of arbitrary conditions.” Advocating [...]
The Australian Parliament passed a package of new gun control and expanded hate crime legislation on Tuesday, seen as measures to combat antisemitism, extremism and gun violence following last month’s Bondi Beach shooting. The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism laws realize leadership promises to enact tougher laws on firearms and hate-motivated violence. The combined acts establish [...]
During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, UN agencies warned on Monday that escalating hunger and displacement crises worldwide threaten global economic stability, urging governments and business leaders to take action. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) noted that nearly 318 million people worldwide were facing a crisis-level hunger, with many living in famine [...]
Multiple US media outlets reported Tuesday that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and three others, received subpoenas from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over alleged interference with the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement actions in that state. Others subpoenaed include St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Minnesota Attorney General Keith [...]
Amnesty International published a report on Tuesday, warning of rising authoritarianism in the US and detailing numerous ways in which the rule of law and basic rights are being threatened. The report, entitled Ringing the Alarm Bells: Rising Authoritarian Practices and Erosion of Human Rights in the United States, ties these areas of concern largely [...]
