A group of 86 human rights organizations and independent experts Friday urged the European Union to impose “targeted sanctions” against the NSO Group, an Israeli company producing the Pegasus surveillance software linked with human rights abuses. The signatories cited investigations by the Front Line Defenders, Forbidden Stories and Citizen Lab that exposed how governments across [...]
India news organizations Thursday protested restrictions on entry and access to the Parliament building in New Delhi which they claim has obstructed news reporting of the legislature’s proceedings and stifled freedom of the press. The protest was announced by five news organizations, including the Press Club of India and Editors Guild of India, on behalf [...]
Thousands have blocked roads across Serbia to protest against two newly enacted laws that environmentalists argue will let foreign companies exploit local resources. The Serbian government has offered mineral resource projects to several companies including the China-based Sijin and UK-based Rio Tinto, which environmentalists are concerned will pollute land and water in the country. The [...]
More than 60 civil society organizations Thursday called upon the United Nations to create an independent panel to investigate and report on violations of international law committed in Yemen. The groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, noted that until October of this year, the UN Human Rights Council’s Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) [...]
The head of the United Nations team investigating Islamic State crimes in Iraq Thursday delivered his report to the Security Council, accusing Islamic State (IS) actors of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Christian Ritscher, Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by the Da’esh/Islamic State [...]
The Council of Europe Friday warned Turkey they would begin taking “infringement proceedings” following the country’s failure to release a philanthropist who has been imprisoned for two years. The European Human Rights Watchdog referred to the 2019 decision. Previously they prompted Tuejry to release Osman Kavala from prison due to a lack of evidence of the [...]
The House of Commons of Canada unanimously adopted a motion Wednesday to pass Bill C-4 banning conversion therapy. The bill became the first to pass Commons in the 44th Parliament, which began on November 20. The bill defines conversion therapy as a “practice, treatment or service” designed to change or repress a person’s non-heterosexual orientation, [...]
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that it would begin re-implementing the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, a Trump-era policy also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers. The announcement follows an August US Supreme Court order requiring the MPP to restart over the Biden Administration’s objections. The Remain [...]
The UK’s Ministry of Defence announced Wednesday that it will permit people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to join the armed forces if they no longer have a detectable amount of the virus. The announcement came on World AIDS Day as part of the Defence Ministry’s continued efforts to recognise breakthroughs in the treatment and [...]
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced Tuesday that the US Department of State will restrict nine Cuban officials’ visas. The nine officials are Ministries of the Interior and the Revolutionary Armed Forces high-ranking members. The restrictions follow Cuba’s interference with peaceful demonstrators last month. The nine officials are accused of attempting “to silence the [...]
