The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern over reports about dozens of abductions and enforced disappearances in Syria during a press briefing on Friday. In his statement, spokesperson Thameen Al-Keetan stated that OHCHR documented at least 97 people missing since the ousting of former president Assad. He also stressed [...]

Human Rights Watch warned on Thursday that Kenya’s cybercrime law amendments risk criminalizing legitimate online speech. The amendments, assented to on October 15 and published by Parliament on November 4, increase penalties for certain offences, broaden the government’s investigative and enforcement powers, and expand the authority of the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee to [...]

The Danish government announced on Friday a national minimum age requirement of 15 years for “certain” social media platforms. The Ministry of Digitalization describes the implementation as “groundbreaking,” noting that Denmark is the first EU country to establish such an age limit on social media. The agreement prohibits children under 15 from self-registering on platforms [...]

The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries warned Friday of the increasing use of mercenaries and private military and security companies (PMSCs) as “proxy actors” in both conflict and peacetime settings. These private actors reportedly facilitate violence and human rights violations worldwide. In its latest report to the UN General Assembly, the working [...]

Amnesty International has accused Tunisian authorities of intensifying abuses against sub-Saharan migrants through violent policing, expulsions, and discriminatory laws that violate fundamental human rights. The organization said Tuesday that European governments risk complicity in these violations by continuing to fund Tunisia’s border operations. Tunisian police have carried out mass expulsions to desert areas near Libya [...]

The UN Security Council on Thursday announced its adoption of Resolution 2799, which removes two individuals, including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, from its sanctions list for figures associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda, a move widely celebrated as presaging a revival of Syria’s economy. Fourteen members of the [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday that trial judges must consider all available evidence, not only a complainant’s testimony, when deciding whether a person had the capacity to consent to sexual activity. The decision in R. v. Rioux clarified how courts should assess capacity and consent in cases involving intoxication, memory loss, or fragmented [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) rendered a decision in absentia on Thursday confirming 39 charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes against Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, thus committing him to trial. Pre-Trial Chamber III of the ICC found that, under to articles 61(2)(b) and 61(7) of the Rome Statute, there were substantial grounds [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Wednesday that Cambodian authorities arbitrarily arrested and charged up to 16 individuals for expressing their opinions on the border conflict with Thailand earlier this year. Authorities allegedly arrested social media activists, members of an opposition party, and journalists who publicly criticized the Cambodian government’s handling of the conflict. One individual, [...]

Amnesty International on Thursday raised concern over existing barriers to abortion access compounded by alarming attempts to roll back reproductive rights in Europe. The warning came in a comprehensive new report, “When rights aren’t real for all: The struggle for abortion access in Europe,” which analyzed abortion care and access in 40 countries. The document [...]