Pope Francis dispatched Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, a top Vatican sex crime investigator, to Bolivia on Monday as victims of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of priests continue to come forward. Bertomeu, a leading member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), previously led investigations of abuses committed by priests against minors [...]

Russian authorities on Tuesday announced an investigation into attacks in the Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, as Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues into its second year. Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov described the incident in a statement: “n May 22, after intensive artillery bombardments of the Kozinka international checkpoint, and also some other civilian [...]

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed a bill into law on Monday that bans abortion after 12 weeks and limits gender-affirming care for minors. Legislative Bill (LB) 574 contains two separate acts–the Preborn Child Protection Act and the Let Them Grow Act. The abortion ban provides exceptions for victims of sexual assault, incest and medical emergency [...]

TikTok sued the state of Montana on Monday over the state’s recently enacted ban, which prohibits TikTok from operating within Montana. The lawsuit alleges Montana’s ban violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects Americans’ right to free speech. TikTok claims Montana enacted the ban in response to “unfounded speculation” about a possible connection regarding [...]

A Hong Kong court has dismissed an attempt by jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai to overturn a decision barring his British lawyer from representing him in an upcoming trial under the national security law. Lai had sought a judicial review after Hong Kong’s National Security Committee ruled that allowing barrister Timothy Owen to represent Lai [...]

Belarusian state news outlet Belta reported Monday that journalist and former opposition figure Roman Protasevich was pardoned by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko weeks after being sentenced to eight years in prison.  Protasevich was arrested in 2021 after Ryanair flight FR4978, carrying Protasevich and fellow activist Sofia Sapega, was forced to divert to Minsk after [...]

In February 2022, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism published a report, accusing Facebook of inciting ethnic violence and disseminating misinformation in Ethiopia. A senior government official condemned the tech giant, accusing it of standing idle as the nation descended into chaos. Yet, as previously announced, the Ethiopian government refused to sit by idly and pledged [...]

This is the third article in a series covering attacks on the rule of law.  The rule of law is a political philosophy premised on the promise that all people, systems and institutions are accountable to the same laws, processes and norms that work together to support equality before the law.  This series argues that [...]

NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly passed a declaration Monday stating that Russia’s forced deportation of children from occupied regions of Ukraine potentially amounts to genocide. The resolution specifically mentions the accusation that Russian authorities forcibly transported Ukrainian children to Russia after the 2022 Russian invasion and notes that: the forcible transfer of children from one group to [...]

A pro-government rally in the Moldovan capital Chisinau attracted over 75,000 people Sunday in support of the country’s movement toward better relations with the European Union (EU) and Western Europe. The rally comes amid Moldova’s accelerated application to join the European Union, announced on March 3, and alleged Russian attempts to undermine Moldovan democracy. European [...]