Amnesty International (AI) reported on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia is arbitrarily detaining and torturing human rights activists. According to the report, Saudi authorities have been arbitrarily detaining activists, including women, in the Dhahban Prison since May. The activists are reportedly subjected to torture, including electroshock and flogging, “leaving some unable to walk or stand properly.” AI said several activists [...]
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) approved a settlement Tuesday between the government of Honduras and the family members of Escaleras Mejia, a famed Honduran environmentalist. Two men murdered Escaleras Mejia on October 18, 1997, in a politically motivated assassination to prevent him from being elected mayor of the Tocoa Municipality in the elections [...]
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Mississippi’s restrictive ban on abortion, ruling that it violates the Constitution. The Gestation Age Act bans abortion after 15 weeks of gestation, except in the case of a medical emergency or a severe fetal abnormality. The law was signed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant in March, but a court [...]
UN Human rights experts on Wednesday said Italy’s proposed tightening of immigration rules will have a serious impact on migrants’ lives and urged the government to reverse course. According to the experts, the proposed Decree-Law on Immigration and Security, which is likely to be passed later this month, lowers protection standards, infringes constitutional and human [...]
A 2017 audit made public by the Associated Press on Tuesday concluded that Navient Corp., the third- largest student loan servicing company, may have persuaded thousands of borrowers into higher-cost repayment plans in order to increase its profits. In October 2017 Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shaprio filed a lawsuit against Navient Corp. over unlawful student [...]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday urged Turkey to end the pre-trial detention of Selahattin Demirtaş, a co-chair of the Kurdish separatist Peoples’ Democratic Party. The Turkish government lifted parliamentary immunity in May 2016, ending special protections for politicians. Demirtaş was arrested on November 4, 2016, and has been in pre-trial detention [...]
The Singapore Parliament passed a bill on Monday amending the Legal Aid and Advice Act to simplify financial determinations for providing legal aid and make it easier for individuals to receive aid. Originally, individuals applying for legal aid had to pass a means threshold based on their disposable income and disposable capital, including an evaluation of [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in a case on the Sixth Amendment’s confrontation clause, prompting a dissent from Justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor. Under the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause, “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” The two justices [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule to deny asylum to migrants who illegally cross the southern border into the US, saying the policy likely violates federal law on asylum eligibility. On November 9, the Department of Homeland Security and Department [...]
The US Federal Reserve fined French bank Societe Generale USD $81.3 million on Monday after the bank violated US sanctions against Cuba. According to the Federal Reserve: The Bank lacked adequate transparency, risk management, and legal and compliance review policies and procedures to ensure that activities conducted at offices outside of the United States, primarily though the [...]
