Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged a rights-based approach in a letter on Friday to the newly appointed African Union (AU) Special Envoy for the Sahel, Burundi President H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye. HRW welcomed President Ndayishimiye’s appointment as Sahel envoy, and emphasized several regional and country-specific human rights concerns, stating that human rights, civilian protection, accountability and the [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Balakrishan Rajagopal called on Friday for Guatemala to immediately suspend its “violent and inhumane” evictions, citing concerns that they violate international law. Specifically, the UN expert is concerned that during the forced evictions, houses are burned down, as well as the “food crops and private possessions [...]
The Epping Forest District Council in England’s Essex County unanimously passed a motion on Thursday urging the UK government to immediately and permanently close the Bell Hotel, which is currently being used to house asylum seekers. The council called upon local members of parliament (MPs) to support its initiative, and a public petition has been launched [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday convicted two Anti-balaka militia leaders, Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) between 2013 and 2014. Yekatom was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Ngaissona received a 12-year sentence. The ICC found that Yekatom and [...]
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) must take immediate action to combat human trafficking amid ongoing conflict in the country’s eastern regions, a high-ranking UN official urged Friday. Siobhán Mullally, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, said in a statement: Conflict-related trafficking of children by armed groups persists with impunity, and is at [...]
Amnesty International on Thursday condemned Iran’s use of cluster munitions in populated living areas during June attacks on Israel, declaring the actions a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The organization argued that the deployment of these weapons clearly breached established legal protections for civilians during armed conflicts. Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday protested the targeting of Vitaliy Shabunin, co-founder of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Shabunin, “a prominent anti-corruption activist who has played a key role in exposing allegations of government corruption,” recently criticized the Ministry of Defense and the president over weapon procurement [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed on Thursday the constitutionality of sex work-related offenses. The court held that the impugned offenses do not infringe the right to security of sex workers under Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The appeal concerned Criminal Code sections 286.2 and 286.3, which prohibit the procurement [...]
UN human rights experts on Thursday pressured the Pakistani government to implement more proactive measures to prevent “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and assaults on cemeteries and places of worship” of religious minorities. “We are shocked at reports of increasing violence against vulnerable communities on grounds of their religion or belief,” experts stated. They claimed mass [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Niger authorities on Wednesday to immediately release former president Mohamed Bazoum, who remains in detention since being ousted two years ago in a military coup. The organization argued that the continued detention represents a violation of fundamental human rights and democratic principles and emphasized the broader concerns about democratic governance [...]
