A US federal appellate court on Monday vacated an order of summary judgment against a Federal Reserve Bank employee’s religious accommodation claim arising from the institution’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The suit was filed by executive assistants Jeanette Diaz and Lori Gardner-Alfred. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a mixed ruling, allowing [...]
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Israeli government’s announcement of its intention to expand its military ground offensive in Gaza, calling for a permanent ceasefire and a UN-backed international coalition to help stabilize the region and support Palestinian governance. In a statement, France criticized the expansion of Israeli military occupation of North Gaza as “rash [...]
The Spanish government ordered the town of Jumilla to drop its ban on religious gatherings in public sports centers on Monday, asserting that the measure disproportionately affects the town’s Muslim community, which has long used the facilities to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The government gave the town’s council one month to formally respond [...]
The UK High Court of Justice on Monday dismissed the Wikimedia Foundation’s legal challenge to aspects of the new Online Safety Act (OSA), ruling that the organization failed to establish sufficient grounds to bring the case. The court dismissed the claim on the basis that Wikimedia failed to demonstrate how legislative and administrative decisions to [...]
On Tuesday, the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates voted to end its longstanding practice of reserving five Board of Governors seats for women, racial minorities, and other underrepresented groups. While those five positions will remain on the board, the new policy removes demographic restrictions. Instead, any ABA member who can demonstrate a commitment [...]
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, United Nations officials warned on Monday, describing overflowing hospitals, critically malnourished children, and desperate civilians risking their lives to secure food for their families. In a situation update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that civilians have repeatedly been killed while attempting [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday condemned the conviction and 20-year prison sentence of the leader of Chad’s main opposition party, calling it a politically motivated trial. HRW criticized proceedings against Succès Masra, claiming they lacked fairness and transparency, and warned that the verdict reflects the government’s increasing use of the justice system to silence [...]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Monday expressed shock and sorrow over the death of Colombian senator and presidential pre‑candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay. Uribe Turbay, 39, a rising figure in the conservative Democratic Center party, was shot during a campaign rally at Bogotá’s El Golfito Park on June 7, struck twice in the head and once in the [...]
Human Rights Watch and the Middle East Democracy Center raised alarm on Monday over the increasing use of the death penalty without due process in Saudi Arabia this year, calling the practice a means to crush peaceful dissent. They highlighted the executions of Turki al-Jasser, Abdullah al-Shamri, Salman al-Odah, Muhammad al-Ghamdi, and the mass execution [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor on Monday called on the Chinese authorities to uphold the rights of human rights defenders who have been imprisoned. Lawlor said she was “disturbed” by the allegations that seven imprisoned human rights defenders in China were subject to torture, refused medical aid, and denied access to [...]
