During a vote taken at about 12:30AM on Wednesday, Republican legislators in the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved a bill cracking down on “riots,” and granting immunity to drivers who hit protesters demonstrating on public roadways. House Bill 1674 was introduced by Rep. Kevin West to address the year’s increased number of protests and alleged riots in [...]

The US Department of the Treasury sanctioned the two adult children of commander-in-chief of the Myanmar military, Min Aung Hlaing, on Wednesday in response to the continued violence by military forces against protesters. In a press release, the Treasury Department labeled Min Aung Hlang as the leader of the military coup against Myanmar’s democratically elected [...]

A UN expert urged the Security Council Wednesday to take action on allegations of human rights violations in North Korea. Tomas Ojea-Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur for North Korea, spoke at the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, where he stated that such claims should be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [...]

Amnesty International reported Thursday that the Myanmar military (the Tatmadaw) is increasingly adopting lethal tactics and weapons, ordinarily employed on the battlefield, against peaceful protesters of the February coup. Officers are reported to be using weapons such as semi-automatic rifles, sniper rifles, and light machine guns, which are not appropriate for policing. These are coupled [...]

Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies voted Thursday to decriminalize marijuana. The measure was approved by a vote of 315 to 128, with 23 members abstaining. The law will allow any adult to smoke marijuana with certain restrictions. These restrictions include a cap on possession that would make it illegal to possess more than 28 grams of [...]

The US House of Representatives passed two pieces of legislation Thursday to enforce higher standards for background checks on persons intending to purchase firearms from licensed arms dealers. HR 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, requires licensed gun dealers, manufacturers or importers to act as a third-party background check on unlicensed private parties who intend [...]

The European Parliament on Thursday declared the EU an “LGBTIQ freedom zone.” The resolution was adopted by a vote of 492 to 141, with 46 members abstaining from the vote. The move is in direct response to Poland and Hungary’s growing repression of LGBTIQ rights. Same-sex relationships do not enjoy legal recognition in Poland. In March 2019, [...]

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is re-instating a plan that was ended under the Trump era to help migrant minors in Central America reunite with their parents who are in the US legally. Roberta Jacobson, special assistant to President Joe Biden and coordinator for the US-Mexico border, announced the reinstatement of the Central [...]

Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill announced on Thursday that former police officer Derek Chauvin will face an additional charge of third-degree murder. The decision came on the third day of the much-anticipated trial for the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chauvin already faces second-degree manslaughter and unintentional murder charges. The original [...]

JURIST EXCLUSIVE – A law student filing for JURIST in Myanmar was among a group of lawyers and law students who earlier this week went to deliver supplies to detainees held by authority of the military junta in Mandalay Central Prison (“Ohbo”). All are young people arrested after peaceful protests against the February 1 military [...]