The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation added Tuesday prominent women’s rights organization supporting domestic violence victims, Nasiliu.net (“Not to Violence”), to its “foreign agent” list under a controversial law aimed at restricting non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from operating freely. The “foreign agent” status subjects NGOs, the press, and individuals to higher levels of bureaucratic scrutiny, and [...]

The United Kingdom formally exited the European Union on the stroke of the New Year with parliament ratifying a new law to govern ties with the continental body. The EU (Future Relationship) Act of 2020 received the Queen’s Royal Assent after getting approval from both houses of parliament late Wednesday. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson recalled [...]

Argentina’s Senate on Wednesday passed a law legalizing abortion after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the country’s women’s movement that has been fighting for the right for decades. In addition to allowing abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, the legislation establishes that even after that period, a pregnancy can be legally [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed multiple laws Wednesday to restrict the influence of US social media companies like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The first law passed by the president allows Russia to block internet sites that allegedly discriminate against Russian media, while the second imposes a substantial fine on social media companies that fail to [...]

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the top legislature in China, approved the Yangtze River Protection Law (current text) on Saturday in order to protect the ecological environment of the river. The law is set to take effect March 1. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China, contributing to 40 [...]

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced on Tuesday that it had initiated a criminal investigation against Alexei Navalny, a prominent leader of the Russian opposition to Vladimir Putin’s leadership. According to the investigation, Navalny, as head of various non-profit organizations such as the Fund for Organization and Coordination of the Protection of Citizens’ [...]

The West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong on Tuesday sentenced former pro-independence group leader Tony Chung to four months of imprisonment for insulting the Chinese flag during a protest in May 2019. Chung, a former member of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism, was arrested outside the US consulate for his alleged involvement and activities with [...]

On Wednesday human rights activist and civil rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo was freed on bail. Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga of the High Court ruled that Opiyo may be released from prison after making a cash deposit and surrendering his passport. Opiyo’s arrest on December 22 for allegedly violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act sparked worldwide criticism [...]

The Parliament of Montenegro Tuesday amended parts of the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities that related to property and were allegedly anti-Serbian. The option of nationalizing church property has now been removed. Thousands of Montenegro nationals had taken to the streets of the capital Podgorica in protest [...]

UN human rights experts urged authorities in Uganda on Tuesday to cease “the arrest, detention and judicial harassment of political opponents, civil society leaders and human rights defenders,” due to concerns of violence in the lead-up to Uganda’s presidential election, which is set to take place on January 14. In June, the Uganda Electoral Commission [...]