A UN expert on Friday warned of the “gradual erosion of rights” of activists and human rights defenders in Sweden, with ongoing restrictions on their ability to exercise their freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.  Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner [...]

A United Nations expert warned Friday that air pollution is contributing to widespread human rights violations worldwide, calling on governments to take urgent action to reduce pollution and protect the right to a healthy environment. In a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and [...]

A group of UN experts warned Friday that the genocide in Gaza is spilling into the West Bank as a wider war engulfs the region. The experts argued that Israeli policy is designed to coerce Palestinians to leave both territories. The report also covered occupied East Jerusalem, where between 2021 and 2025 there have been [...]

Amnesty International on Friday condemned the recently adopted “Criminal Procedure Regulation for the Courts” (De Mahakumu Jazaai Osulnama) in Afghanistan, saying that the legislation violates the rights of women, girls and minority groups in the country. Commenting on the severity of human rights violations  effectively sanctioned by law under this new regulation, Amnesty International’s South Asia [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled by an 8-1 majority on Friday that Quebec’s subsidized daycare regulation discriminated against women refugee claimants. The ruling requires Quebec to include refugee claimant parents as a group eligible for daycare subsidies. At issue is Section 3 of Quebec’s Reduced Contribution Regulation, which lists the population groups eligible to [...]

Indonesia announced on Friday a new policy banning social media and online platforms for children under the age of 16, aiming to protect youth from online abuse. Under the new regulation, existing accounts belonging to users under 16 will be deactivated starting March 28. Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid stated that the restriction [...]

European Union countries on Thursday approved a legally binding target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040, as compared to 1990 levels. The new target is an amendment to the EU Climate Law and would advance the bloc’s path to its long-term goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The approval [...]

UN experts on Thursday condemned the conviction of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights defender Marielle Domequil in the Philippines on charges of financing terrorism. Cumpio and Domequil were convicted on January 22, where the court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 years. The experts stated, “Given the serious concerns [...]

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance on Friday upheld a revised policy that limits journalists’ access to the vehicle registry. To obtain the particulars of a vehicle, journalists must now make a written submission to the Commissioner for Transport, outlining the purpose of obtaining the particulars of a vehicle and how it will be used. [...]

The UN urged the global community on Thursday to respect its established norms for extracting and processing critical minerals amid rising global demand to ensure a just and equitable economic transition for all nations. The UN noted that critical minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt are essential for the energy transition, given their role [...]