Three former staff members of a mental hospital in Virginia were arrested and charged Thursday with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who was brought to the institution from jail earlier this month. According to Dinwiddie County Commonwealth Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, Irvo Otieno, 28, passed away on March 6 while [...]

Following allegations of discrimination that gave rise to an investigation by the US Department of Justice Civil Liberties Division, a Vermont school district on Thursday reached a settlement agreement. The American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Vermont division filed a complaint with the state’s human rights commission stating that a Black student had been harassed and discriminated [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday said that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) should utilise the approved World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund to compensate victims of human rights abuses related to the 2022 World Cup. FIFA came under worldwide scrutiny and condemnation for its exploitation of labor protection laws in Qatar during the [...]

The North Dakota Supreme Court Thursday upheld a preliminary injunction on the state’s abortion ban while litigation on the matter proceeds. The injunction stops enforcement of N.D.C. § 12.1-31-12, which went into effect after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and found that there is no federal right to abortion in [...]

The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) Thursday released data showing that the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) rejected over half of the CCRB’s disciplinary recommendations in 2022. Commissioner Keechant Sewell has closed more civilian complaints against officers than former commissioner Dermot F. Shea. However, Sewell followed less than [...]

In recent months, more than a dozen American states have sought to restrict or ban drag performances, with many framing these legislative moves as aimed at protecting minors. In this explainer, JURIST unpacks the trend and highlights its worrying implications for free speech. What is drag? Drag is an art form, wherein individuals dressed in [...]

Aynsley Genga is a JURIST Staff Correspondent in Kenya. Due to the current economic crisis facing Kenya at the moment, Raila Odinga, the leader of Azimio (Kenya’s opposition party) has declared that on Monday March 20th 2023, there will be a nationwide strike. He has even declared Monday a “national holiday”. Throughout the week there [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday called for Mozambican authorities to “promptly and impartially” investigate police use of teargas at the March 14 funeral procession of rapper and prominent government critic Edson da Luz, also known as “Azagaia,” in in Maputo. Azagaia died on March 9 from complications from a sudden illness. “Mozambique police responsible for safety [...]

The Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) Thursday announced the detention of nine suspected Russian spies reportedly attempting to sabotage NATO operations. At a news conference Thursday morning, Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński claimed the suspects were preparing “sabotage actions aimed at paralyzing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine.” Kamiński went on to say [...]

A new report Thursday released by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found Russian forces in Ukraine have conducted “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks” against civilians in violation of international humanitarian law. The commission described the people in Ukraine as living under “a climate of unbearable uncertainty and fear” and urged further investigation [...]