Saint Petersburg legislators approved a municipal bill Wednesday to introduce fines for “encouragement of abortions,” to purportedly help create a “safe … family and motherhood informational environment” in the region. The bill would establish an increasing fine scale for citizens, public persons, and people in legal professions for encouraging abortions. When asked why the male [...]

The UK government announced on Monday that it plans to scrap a Georgian-era law that made “rough sleeping” a criminal offense. The official statement promised to abolish the 200-year-old statute by spring of next year. “We are drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society,” Deputy [...]

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) issued a statement Wednesday calling upon nations to fulfill their obligation to protect human rights defenders and create an enabling environment for civil society amid declining funding for human rights organizations worldwide. ISHR emphasized that protecting human rights activists and defenders is a fundamental duty of states, according [...]

A UN expert Wednesday reprimanded Brazil over its adoption of a controversial legal doctrine to limit the land rights of Indigenous peoples. UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples Albert Kwokwo Barume reported that Brazil’s Senate has approved legislative decree No. 717/2024, which could “revoke the legal foundation for Indigenous land demarcation and [...]

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Thursday that forced displacement has doubled globally in the last decade, with a lack of funding to accommodate the increased number of displaced people dependent on UNHCR for support. The UNHCR said the increase was “largely driven by protracted conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar [...]

Amnesty International on Tuesday reported that Nigerian girls and young women who have escaped Boko Haram captivity continue to endure severe hardships amid persistent government inaction, according to new testimonies one year after the rights organization initially reported on their struggles with reintegrating into society. The testimonies highlighted how the Nigerian government has failed to [...]

The Moscow Military Court on Wednesday sentenced prominent dissident Leonid Volkov in absentia. Volkov, an ally of Alexey Navalny and a former leader of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, received 18 years imprisonment and a fine of 2 million rubles (approximately $25,000). The charges against him included 18 counts of spreading military “fakes,” 16 counts of justifying [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral arguments Wednesday in President Donald Trump’s bid to remove his hush money conviction from New York state to federal court. The conviction was based on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with reimbursement payments made to Stormy Daniels. Trump’s legal team from [...]

Legislative and local elections held in Burundi on June 5 unfolded in an environment of restricted civic freedoms and an effectively dismantled political opposition, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said the ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD), won [...]

The European Commission (EC) announced on Wednesday that it is adopting a landmark policy framework aimed at “protecting marine life and strengthening the blue economy,” pledging an investment of 1 billion euros to support the initiative. The European Ocean Pact is the first of its kind, aiming to establish a comprehensive, unified framework for EU [...]