The second highest court in Malaysia ruled Wednesday in a high-profile transgender case that Islamic law is restricted to familial matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, and the constitution provides a secular federal government. The ruling [Malay...

The Iran Supreme Court sentenced former vice president Mohammad Reza Rahimi to more than five years in prison and imposed a fine of 10 billion rials (USD $360,000), the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported ...

As part of the 70th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp (USHMM backgrounder), UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson on Wednesday called for an examination of why genocide continues to be...

The Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia voted Tuesday to ban same-sex marriage by defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The law defines marriage as "a life...

The Egyptian government is failing to protect women's rights and end violence against women, Amnesty International (AI) reported Wednesday. AI reports that women and girls face violence in all aspects of life, including in public...

A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday voiced concern over the continued use of the death penalty in Southeast Asia as punishment for drug-related crimes. Drug-related crimes...

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International on Wednesday criticized a vote by the Turkish Parliament downing a proposal to lift parliamentary immunity for four former ministers accused of corruption. The charges relate to a massive...

The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday urged renewed efforts to arrest militia leader and accused war criminal Joseph Kony . The statement came after the announcement...

A Nepalese parliamentary meeting on Tuesday resulted in violence and arrests after the Maoist opposition sought to extend the deadline for the drafting of the new constitution. An original deadline for completion of the constitution had been set for...

Authorities in Myanmar have taken a positive step with the release of Dr Tun Aung (a peaceful activist, Muslim community leader, and medical doctor), but "should also free the dozens of other prisoners of conscience still behind bars," Amnesty...