United Nations independent experts on Monday called on Russia to end long-standing trafficking and forced labor of migrant women, predominantly from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, in the Golyanovo district of Moscow. Expressing concern over the “credible and well-documented allegations” of trafficking and forced labor, the special rapporteurs stated: “We urge Russian authorities to take immediate and [...]

The Israeli military on Sunday intercepted a civilian vessel, detaining 21 international activists and journalists who were aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. In a statement, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international grassroots network of human rights and civil society organizations, declared that its vessel Handala was “violently intercepted” by the Israeli military, [...]

Four years after their arrest for peacefully advocating for political reform, two members of the Eswatini Parliament, Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, have been declared “prisoners of conscience” by Amnesty International. Friday’s designation highlights mounting concern over the country’s intensifying repression of dissent and misuse of the justice system. The two MPs were arrested on [...]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday announced that the UK will airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children for more specialized medical aid. In a public statement, Starmer claimed that the UK is “working urgently” with the Jordanian authorities to get aid into planes and delivered to Gaza. The British leader condemned the mass [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged a rights-based approach in a letter on Friday to the newly appointed African Union (AU) Special Envoy for the Sahel, Burundi President H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye.  HRW welcomed President Ndayishimiye’s appointment as Sahel envoy, and emphasized several regional and country-specific human rights concerns, stating that human rights, civilian protection, accountability and the [...]

UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Balakrishan Rajagopal called on Friday for Guatemala to immediately suspend its “violent and inhumane” evictions, citing concerns that they violate international law. Specifically, the UN expert is concerned that during the forced evictions, houses are burned down, as well as the “food crops and private possessions [...]

The Epping Forest District Council in England’s Essex County unanimously passed a motion on Thursday urging the UK government to immediately and permanently close the Bell Hotel, which is currently being used to house asylum seekers. The council called upon local members of parliament (MPs) to support its initiative, and a public petition has been launched [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday convicted two Anti-balaka militia leaders, Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) between 2013 and 2014. Yekatom was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Ngaissona received a 12-year sentence. The ICC found that Yekatom and [...]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) must take immediate action to combat human trafficking amid ongoing conflict in the country’s eastern regions, a high-ranking UN official urged Friday. Siobhán Mullally, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, said in a statement:  Conflict-related trafficking of children by armed groups persists with impunity, and is at [...]

Amnesty International on Thursday condemned Iran’s use of cluster munitions in populated living areas during June attacks on Israel, declaring the actions a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The organization argued that the deployment of these weapons clearly breached established legal protections for civilians during armed conflicts. Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director [...]