At the 59th session of the Human Rights Council Thursday, the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights stated that the procurement and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) systems by states and businesses must comply with international human rights standards, warning that failure could lead to serious rights violations. UN experts noted a [...]

A US federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday extended a temporary freeze preventing the Department of Labor (DOL) from shutting down its Job Corps program. The emergency relief granted during Tuesday’s preliminary injunction hearing prevented the DOL from eliminating the $1.5 billion program that provides approximately 25,000 low-income and foster care youth with vocational training, [...]

A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with the Democratic state attorney general in a long-running battle over a law passed by Republicans that sought to weaken the attorney general’s power during a lame-duck legislative session in 2018. In a 7-0 ruling, the court found the law unconstitutionally violated the separation of powers doctrine. [...]

The Second Court of Appeal of St. Petersburg on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Ivan Zabavsky, a Ukrainian who was convicted on a charge of espionage. The court rejected the appeal during a closed-door trial, where journalists and listeners were not allowed to be present. Ivan had been sentenced to 11 years in prison in [...]

Amnesty International called for the Indian government to stop its unlawful deportation of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, in a statement released on Thursday. This follows reports of the government deporting refugees and forcing them across the Bangladesh border over recent months. Aakar Patel, the chairman of Amnesty International India, stated: “Recent allegations of deportations from [...]

Civilian deaths in armed conflicts surged by 40 percent globally in 2024, according to new data from the UN Human Rights Office published Wednesday. The figures highlight a deteriorating global human rights landscape marked by widespread violence, deepening discrimination, and the continued targeting of human rights defenders and journalists. At least 48,384 people, most of [...]

The UN Human Rights Office on Wednesday called for the urgent de-escalation of violence amid ongoing exchange of missile fire between Israel and Iran, warning that continued attacks risk severe civilian harm and violations of international law. In light of the alarming humanitarian crisis in Iran and the grave violations of international humanitarian law, UN [...]

The US Supreme Court issued an opinion on Wednesday upholding a 2023 Tennessee law restricting minors’ access to gender affirming care in the state. The 2023 Tennessee law, SB1, prohibits medical procedures that alter a minor’s hormonal balance, remove a minor’s sex organs, or otherwise change a minor’s physical appearance when undergone with purpose of [...]

Tunisian authorities have intensified their crackdown on peaceful dissent and opposition voices, targeting marginalized communities and activists under vague legal provisions, Amnesty International said in a report released Tuesday. Titled “We were only asking for our rights and dignity,” the report documents how, between February 2020 and January 2025, at least 90 peaceful protesters, unionists, and [...]

Former French prime minister François Fillon received a suspended sentence of four years in prison on Tuesday for the embezzlement of public funds, according to local media. The appeals court further ordered him to pay a fine of 375,000 euros and ruled him ineligible to run for public office for the next five years. Fillon [...]