UN experts on Wednesday condemned the sentencing of Pakistani human rights defender Mahrang Baloch to two terms of life imprisonment by a court in Quetta, describing it as a “travesty” of justice. The experts stated that Baloch’s conviction and life sentence represented a misuse of counter-terrorism laws that aimed to suppress human rights activism and [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday that German authorities on June 20 deported Tajik opposition activist Asadullo Boboev and his adult son, Muhammad, to Dushanbe, despite warnings that Boboev faced detention and mistreatment on return. HRW Europe and Central Asia director Hugh Williamson stated: Germany is failing to uphold its international obligations to protect those [...]
Egypt has been arbitrarily arresting and deporting refugees with expired permits, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday. The majority of these refugees and asylum seekers are from Sudan and South Sudan. Sudan is in year four of a deadly civil war, while renewed violence plagues South Sudan. The situation in Egypt is due in part [...]
A federal judge on Tuesday quashed a grand jury subpoena for information about 2020 election workers in Georgia, dealing a setback to an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Various lawsuits have followed President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election and his claims of voter fraud in swing states. In Georgia, federal courts [...]
A coalition of 22 Democratic state attorneys general filed a comment letter Monday opposing the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs of up to 12.5 percent on 59 countries and the EU, arguing they are unlawful and amount to a pretext to reimpose broad tariffs previously struck down by the courts. The coalition, co-led by California Attorney [...]
The impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte began Monday on charges of bribery, graft and other corruption. Duterte is currently facing four articles of impeachment. The Philippine House of Representatives voted to impeach her in May with 257 votes in favor, with only 106 needed to impeach. Under the Philippines Constitution, the Senate [...]
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Monday that Israel’s detention of Gazan doctor Hussam Abu Safiya violates international human rights law, and called for his immediate release, noting that his lawyer and rights groups warn that his life is in imminent danger. The five-member panel of independent experts, which operates as a special [...]
Meta revealed in a court filing Monday that state attorneys general (AGs) are seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties ahead of an August trial over claims that the company knowingly designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to teen users. The staggering figure represents the large share of Meta’s total market capitalization, currently listed [...]
A French appeals court on Tuesday upheld politician Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling EU funds but reduced her ban on holding elected office. The Paris Court of Appeal sentenced Le Pen to two years of imprisonment, one year of “at home electronic monitoring,” and a €100,000 fine. The ruling also imposed a 45-month ban [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday urged Thai authorities to conduct criminal investigations into allegations that junior conscripts were routinely subjected to cruel and degrading treatment by their seniors in hazing rituals, a practice often defended as a way to “man up” recruits, but often results in lifelong trauma. HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson commented [...]
