UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged member states of the UN Human Rights Council to defend human rights in response to the global rise in populism and extremism on Monday. Guterres stated that “isregard for human rights is a disease, and it is a disease that is spreading.” Guterres insisted on the vigilance of member states [...]

In a joint letter to European Union Commissioner of Migration, Human Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopolous on Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee expressed their concern regarding Hungary’s proposed migration amendments. According to the two organizations, the amendments would automatically detain any asylum seekers, with the only exception being children under [...]

Attorneys representing US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl said Sunday that they will ask the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals to dismiss discretion charges against their client in light of comments made by President Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Bergdahl is facing a court-martial for discretion and endangering US troops after allegedly abandoning his [...]

The efficiency of the Chinese court system has been improved by 20 percent since 2013, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) announced Monday. The court released two white papers on judicial reform and court transparency, recording progress it had made in accountability, trial procedure and separation of powers. According to the papers, China’s courts have improved [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in three cases following its February 24 conference. Among the cases that were denied review was a case involving a constitutional challenge to the death penalty. The petitioner in Reed v. Louisiana was sentenced to death in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana, a county that has sentenced more people [...]

On Saturday the newly confirmed head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scott Pruitt announced that they would be rolling back some Obama era regulations as soon as next week. When speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Pruitt took a tone that the previous administration’s policies had a negative effect on [...]

On Thursday the Montana House of Representatives introduced HB 536 which would allow homicide charges to be brought against doctors engaged in physician-assisted suicide. This legislation would run against the current policy of the State of Montana, which allows end of life options. In 2009 the Supreme Court of Montana ruled in Baxter v. Montana [...]

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) passed a resolution on Friday announcing a national boycott of North Carolina. The NAACP asked other organizations, artists, religious groups, and sports leagues to follow suit and according to the NAACP, 200 organizations are already planning to join the boycott. The first action taken by [...]

Two sources with contacts in the Trump administration suggested Saturday that the US might be considering leaving the UN Human Rights Council . One source explained that several requests had come from the US State Department regarding the Council, suggesting that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson might be reevaluating the US membership of the Council. [...]

Bombings and air strikes in Syria were committed deliberately to disrupt peace talks between both sides in Geneva, UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Saturday. De Mistura met with officers of the Syrian government and opposition forces in Geneva in efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict. Suicide attackers killed at least 32 people on [...]