A Russian court Thursday ordered the two-month detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on charges of espionage. Russian security forces arrested Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg, Russia on Thursday morning on suspicions that the Moscow-based reporter was spying on Russia for the US. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) told state-afilliated news source TASS that [...]

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Thursday ruled that the US violated a 1955 treaty with Iran by freezing Iranian assets to fulfill terrorism-related awards from the US. In Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America, the court ordered the US to compensate Iran in a binding judgment, however, the court has not [...]

A US federal judge in Texas Thursday ruled that private health insurance companies are not required to cover contraceptives, STD screenings or HIV prevention treatment (pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP). The court held that the preventative care minimum of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) violated the claimant’s rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This [...]

Since gaining power in August 2021, the Afghan Taliban, following a unique normative mixture of Pashtun culture and Islamic law, have closed universities, colleges, and secondary and primary schools to deny education to women and girls. In banning women from higher education, the Taliban education minister argued that female college students do not adhere to [...]

The Vatican Thursday announced a formal rejection of a 15th century theory known as the ‘Doctrine of Discovery.’ In a statement, the Church said it “repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent rights of indigenous peoples.” The ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ arose from several documents collectively known as the papal bulls. Key amongst them [...]

UN experts Wednesday implored Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to refuse to sign the anti-homosexuality bill approved by Parliament on March 21. Human rights organizations have criticised the bill, which seeks to penalize homosexual relationships in order to protect the traditional family, as draconian and in violation of basic human rights. According to experts, the proposed [...]

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we should recognize that our history of gender inequity and oppression is now being used by our highest courts to narrowly define the contours of women’s rights going forward. We need to fight back to ensure our principles — of equality, human dignity, and respect for the [...]

The UN General Assembly Wednesday adopted a landmark resolution, led by the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, which calls on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to provide an advisory opinion on states’ obligations to address climate change. The resolution also requests the Court’s opinion on the legal consequences for states whose “acts and omissions” [...]

Kentucky lawmakers Wednesday overrode Governor Andy Beshear’s veto on Senate Bill 150, a bill to enact restrictions on the rights of transgender youth to seek gender-affirming care and to use bathrooms that align with their gender identities. The Kentucky House of Representative approved the override in a 76-23 vote, and the state’s Senate approved the [...]

The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) Wednesday expressed concern over the UK’s Illegal Migration Bill, saying the legislation didn’t comply with “core elements” of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Bill provides for the detainment and expulsion of all those people who arrive [...]