The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Thursday announced sanctions against eight individuals, 16 entities and four aircraft affiliated with “transnational criminal organization” the Wagner Group (PMC Wagner). In order to undermine Russia’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine, the sanctions target entities that support PMC Wagner and the production [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Wednesday ruled that applications made by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia alleging multiple violations of the European Convention on Human Rights(ECHR) are partly admissible. The three applications pertain to the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine and the downing of Flight MH17. Two complaints were [...]

US President Joe Biden Thursday extended a program that protects Hong Kong residents in the US from deportation. The program, called the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), was originally set to end on February 5. The extension means the DED will now remain in effect for certain Hong Kong residents in the US for an additional [...]

Workers at an Amazon UK warehouse Wednesday went on strike in protest of low wages, poor working conditions and the soaring cost of living. The collective action represents the first time Amazon warehouse workers have gone on strike in the UK. Members of the GMB union voted to stage a one-day walk off from the [...]

Minister Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) Wednesday fined messaging app Telegram 1.2 million reals ($236,495) for failing to comply with judicial orders to suspend five accounts supporting former President Jair Bolsonaro in connection with the January 8 storming of state institutions. In an event reminiscent of the January 6, 2020 attack [...]

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation (MIF) Wednesday released its 2022 Index of African Governance, noting that governance across the African continent has “flatlined” since 2019. The report cited deteriorating security and movements to undermine the rule of law as reasons for the stagnation, and warned the lack of progress could seriously jeopardize the African Union’s Agenda [...]

The historic Moscow Helsinki Group Wednesday was shut down by a Moscow court. The human rights group, founded in 1976, had been operational and highly influential in Russia since its founding. The Russian Ministry of Justice had filed for the group’s abolition, and its petition had been approved, as per the judgment read out in [...]

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee Wednesday voted 6-1 with 14 abstentions to name the historic center of Odesa, Ukraine a World Heritage Site and a World Heritage in Danger site. The endangered site list includes 55 properties like the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan and the Old City of Jerusalem.  [...]

The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) Wednesday launched a lawsuit against Twitter in Berlin, Germany to determine if the company insufficiently moderated antisemitic tweets which could incite violence. EUJS and HateAid filed the lawsuit with evidence of six anti-semitic and illegal tweets that remained live on the platform despite having been reported which had [...]

The UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights Wednesday called on the government to halt its proposed Bill of Rights Bill, warning that it would “seriously damage” the UK’s human rights protections. Committee Chair Joanna Cherry KC MP stated that there is “little appetite” for the reforms, and “it may be more sensible to scrap [...]