Amnesty International on Saturday issued a statement criticizing the continued harassment, arbitrary arrests, and detention of independent journalists in several countries across East and Southern Africa. In particular, the organization reported a rise in internet blockades and shutdowns, as well as the use of oppressive cybersecurity laws to restrict media freedom, especially in countries that [...]
A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from stripping temporary deportation protections for nearly 3,000 Yemeni nationals living and working in the US. Judge Dale Ho of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, handed down his decision in favor of a group of Yemeni nationals who had sued [...]
Human Rights Watch on Friday questioned the Zambian government’s latest decision to postpone RightsCon 2026, a global summit intended to foster collaboration between civil society activists and industry on the impact of digital technologies on human rights. Technology deputy director at Human Rights Watch, Deborah Brown stated: “By shutting down RightsCon, the Zambian government is [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada upheld a law on Friday that limits the privilege of parliamentarians in relation to their duties on a statutory committee that oversees the country’s national security and intelligence apparatus. By an 8-1 majority, the court held that Parliament has the authority to define the privileges its members enjoy insofar as [...]
Six transgender residents of Idaho have filed a challenge Thursday to their state’s new bathroom law. The suit, filed by attorneys from the ACLU and Lambda Legal, alleges that the law violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. The law, which takes effect on July 1, is the [...]
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Friday warned that Israel’s new death penalty law for Palestinians is racially discriminatory, a “retrogression” of human rights, and constitutes segregation. The Committee, a body made up of 18 independent experts, urged Israel to repeal the law immediately and “ensure that all Palestinian detainees held [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) struck on Friday down Quebec’s legislation that suspended review of an electoral map by an independent commission until after the next general election. The court held by a 7-2 majority that the legislation violated the right to vote under Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday condemned the decision of the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal in Cambodia to uphold the conviction of detained opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2023. HRW described the conviction as politically motivated and urged Cambodian authorities to quash it and immediately release [...]
International human rights organizations on Thursday called on Nepal’s newly elected government, led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, to take immediate steps to strengthen human rights protections and uphold the rule of law following its recent electoral victory. In a joint letter, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists urged the [...]
A federal appeals court on Friday suspended a Biden-era regulation that allowed the abortion drug mifepristone to be prescribed online and dispensed through the mail. The ruling immediately halts telemedicine abortion pill prescriptions nationwide while litigation continues. The unanimous three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit stayed the Food and [...]
