Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly Sunday announced additional sanctions on Haitian “political elites,” including Michel Joseph Martelly, who provide operational and financial support to armed gangs in Haiti. The sanctions impose dealings prohibitions on the listed persons and freeze any assets in Canada that they hold. The sanctions are imposed in accordance with [...]

UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab Sunday announced new measures to increase the severity of punishments faced by person incarcerated on terrorism charges who commit offences while in prison. The changes are intended to act as a deterrent for those already behind bars and discourage them from re-offending. The new measures are an agreement between [...]

Hong Kong’s Court of Appeals Monday dismissed a bid by prosecutors to prevent Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media entrepreneur charged with violating the controversial National Security Law (NSL), from having a UK barrister on his legal defense team. In October, Lai pleaded not guilty on NSL collusion charges. Under the NSL, a jury trial can [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Monday condemned the execution of three civilians by the Communist New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. The executions occurred in the province of Negros Occidental in the Philippines during August following a series of allegedly unfair trials. In a statement, Command of the NPA [...]

Since the February 2021 coup d’état in Myanmar, human rights conditions have continued to deteriorate throughout the country. While the current ruling military dictatorship is guilty of causing and/or perpetuating many rights violations, some — such as restrictions on labor rights — had started even before the coup. In this explainer I will look at [...]

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to former Indian Institutes of Technology professor and Dalit scholar Anand Teltumbde, an accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case. Teltumbde was arrested by Mumbai police in April 2020 for his alleged role in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence case. [...]

The New Zealand Supreme Court Monday ruled in favor of lowering the country’s voting age from 18 to 16. The court stated that the voting age requirement of 18 violated the right to freedom from discrimination on the basis of age. Following the court’s decision, the New Zealand Parliament will consider the issue and decide [...]

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed the National Investigating Agency’s (NIA) application to vacate the order that allowed activist Gautam Navlakha’s shift to house arrest from Taloja prison in Mumbai, where he had been detained in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case since April 2020. On August 28, 2018, Navlakha was arrested by Mumbai [...]

The LGBTQ Equality Caucus of the US Congress released a statement Sunday condemning the “twin epidemics of hate and gun violence” following a deadly shooting at a queer club in Colorado Springs. Around midnight, a shooter entered Club Q, a “safe haven” for LGBTQ residents of Colorado Springs, killed 5 and wounded more than 25 [...]

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norway-based Iranian human rights group, Sunday reported that Iranian forces continue to use lethal force against demonstrators protesting the death of 21-year-old Mahsa Amini. Hengaw follows the nationwide protest developments on the ground with instantaneous reports, photos and videos. A recent video showed Iranian forces opening fire at protesters [...]