The US Department of Justice (DOJ) “did not effectively plan for … the impact that family unit adult prosecutions would have on children,” despite awareness from senior DOJ leadership that the program would lead to the separation of children, according to a report Thursday from the DOJ Office of the Inspector General reviewing the implementation [...]
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released their annual report on human rights in China on Thursday, declaring that China has possibly committed genocide against Uighur Muslims, a Turkic ethnic minority, in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). In their 2019 report, the CECC reported the existence of mass internment and forced labor camps in the [...]
The Trump administration executed Corey Johnson by lethal injection on Thursday. Johnson was convicted for a series of seven murders committed in 1992 and became the twelfth federal inmate put to death since July. The execution followed two separate appeals by Johnson’s attorneys for a stay of execution. In the first appeal they argued that Johnson [...]
The UK government announced Wednesday that it is seeking to reform the Mental Health Act 1983 in order to give patients more control over their treatment. The reforms are based on an independent review carried out in 2017, which looked at the rising number of people being detained under the Mental Health Act as well [...]
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) updated the critical habitat designation for the northern spotted owl on Wednesday, eliminating almost 3.5 million acres of forested land from federal protection. The FWS reevaluated the northern spotted owl’s critical habitat designation based on the terms of its settlement agreement with several logging groups. These groups challenged [...]
Illinois lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday overhauling the state’s criminal justice system in a sweeping reform. The bill, HB 3653, makes it official misconduct for police officers to fail to use body cameras or intentionally misrepresent facts in police reports and investigations. Chokeholds are also banned, and the bill standardizes the reporting process for people [...]
Peruvian police used unnecessary and excessive force during protests between November 9 and November 15 last year, according to a Tuesday report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The protests concerned the legitimacy of interim president Manuel Merino after Congress voted to impeach President Martín Vizcarra over bribery charges. The [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that Chicago did not violate the US Bankruptcy Code by maintaining possession of cars it had impounded. The ruling came in the case of Chicago v. Fulton. In oral arguments, the city framed the question in the case as “whether the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay requires a creditor [...]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said Thursday that it will hear a case by Ukraine alleging human rights violations by Russia in the Crimean Peninsula. The Crimean Peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. Soon after the Russian forces seized control of the peninsula, Russia held a referendum in which Crimea, which has [...]
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit against the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Thursday for its handling of peaceful protests and use of excessive force. In her complaint, James argued that the NYPD unjustifiably used pepper spray and batons against Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in violation of NYPD policies. Such action [...]
