Egyptian authorities must immediately end their crackdown on individuals who discuss religious beliefs online, Amnesty International said on Thursday, warning that prosecutions and arrests under broadly worded laws are violating the rights to freedom of religion and expression. The statement urges a halt to arbitrary arrests, and respect for freedom of religion and belief in [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement Friday condemning the unlawful detention of members of Yemen’s national human rights institution by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), a major party to the Yemeni war. The National Commission for the Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights (NCIAVHR) is an independent body that investigates violations by [...]

Don Lemon, a well-known independent journalist, was arrested with eight other people on Thursday after being indicted by a federal grand jury.  The charges relate to his involvement in coverage of a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a church in St. Paul the previous day. Protesters said that they targeted the church [...]

The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China announced a group execution Thursday that brought a landmark cross-border crime case to a close. The 11 ringleaders from the northern Myanmar Ming family criminal syndicate and its affiliated fraud groups have been executed. The 11 people executed had committed grave crimes against Chinese citizens, [...]

Amnesty International on Friday urged Kyrgyzstani authorities to end the imprisonment of journalist Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy and quash all charges against her. Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director, said that authorities face “a clear and unavoidable choice: uphold their international human rights obligations or continue to defy them.” She added: The UN [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged a man on Thursday with “forcibly assaulting and interfering with” Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar at a town hall in North Minneapolis. The defendant, Anthony James Kazmierczak, appeared in front of a US District Court in the District of Minnesota following a complaint filed by US Attorney Daniel N. [...]

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria welcomed the ceasefire agreement between the Government of Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday, while urging the return of displaced populations and access to aid in Northeastern Syria. Paulo Pinheiro, the chair of the Commission of Inquiry, stated: “We welcome efforts to bring stability to [...]

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Friday issued warning letters to 42 law firms, stating that their participation in a diversity certification program may violate federal antitrust laws. The letters from FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson targeted firms enrolled in the Mansfield Certification program, operated by consulting company Diversity Lab. According to the company’s “Meet [...]

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters on Friday that the Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, the intensive care nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last weekend. Blanche said the FBI will lead the investigation alongside lawyers from the Justice [...]

A UN expert urged states to recognize hostage-taking as a crime against humanity on Thursday. The statement comes as a preparatory committee is drafting a treaty on crimes against humanity. The Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on states participating in the negotiations to include hostage-taking as a crime against humanity in the [...]