Seventy-nine member states of the Rome State of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reaffirmed their “unwavering support” for the court’s operation, in a joint statement issued on Friday. The statement said that “the court serves as a vital pillar of the international justice system by ensuring accountability for the most serious international crimes, and justice [...]

A US federal judge on Friday granted a temporary restraining order, halting the Trump administration’s attempt to sideline nearly 2,700 US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees by placing them on paid leave and recalling most of those stationed abroad. The ruling delivers a significant setback to the president’s push to curtail US foreign aid [...]

The UN Human Rights Council established on Friday an urgent fact-finding mission and commission of inquiry into atrocities committed by all parties to the armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The resolution was passed by consensus during the thirty-seventh special session, which was held at the DRC’s request. With a resurgence [...]

Amnesty International on Friday expressed deep concern over the recent amendment to Article 248 of El Salvador’s constitution, warning that the change could drastically undermine human rights protections. Amnesty International Americas director Ana Piquer criticized the new legislative method imposed by the amendment, suggesting it “could undermine human rights in the future and limit people’s [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern on Friday over the recent escalation of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group continues its offensive. According to the statement, “Since 26 January, nearly 3,000 people have been [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on countries Friday to urgently repatriate their nationals from Syrian detainment camps, where thousands remain trapped in life-threatening conditions. The organization urged governments to fulfil their international legal obligations by prosecuting those responsible for crimes and supporting reintegration efforts. It also criticized the US government’s recent suspension of foreign aid [...]

The Swedish government announced on Friday its plans to tighten the nation’s gun laws after 11 people were killed in a mass shooting at the Campus Risbergska adult school in Örebro earlier in the week. In response to the worst mass shooting in Swedish history, authorities said the key mandate was to tighten the vetting process [...]

Amnesty International on Friday welcomed Israel’s release of Palestinian humanitarian aid worker and prisoner of conscience Mohammad al-Halabi. Amnesty referred to Mohammad al-Halabi’s imprisonment as a “flagrant miscarriage of justice,” and demanded the release of all hostages held in Gaza as well as all Palestinians “arbitrarily” held in Israel’s prisons. Senior director Erika Guevara Rosas [...]

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced on Friday that the City and County of San Francisco are co-leading a lawsuit with Santa Clara County against the Trump administration’s latest directives targeting sanctuary jurisdictions, aiming to protect local control and public safety. The lawsuit challenges Executive Order 14159 and recent US Department of Justice (DOJ) [...]

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudry was arrested on Friday after using derogatory language toward an official at the jail where Khan has been held for the last 553 days, according to local media. Chaudry and three other lawyers visited Adiala Jail as per a court order to attend the Anti-Terrorist Court [...]