The French Cour de Cassation, on Friday, annulled an arrest warrant against the former president of Syria, Bashar Al-Assad, holding that sitting foreign leaders are immune from prosecution. On the question of whether an exception would exist in the event of crimes against humanity and war crimes, the court rejected both the argument that an [...]

The Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported on Sunday that the human rights activist Boniface Mwangi was arrested in his residence for “facilitating terrorist activities” allegedly committed during a youth-led protest on June 26. Mwangi, before his arrest, jointly filed a lawsuit in front of the East African Court of Justice against the Tanzanian, [...]

In a joint statement issued Saturday, several UN agencies warned that the current fuel shortage in Gaza could halt the humanitarian efforts in the territory, possibly jeopardizing millions of civilians. The agencies, including the World Health Organization and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stressed that “fuel must be allowed into Gaza.” Being [...]

Over 30 human rights organizations and NGOs on Monday urged the United Nations and governments worldwide to hold Chinese officials to account for the continued systemic repression of human rights lawyers. The letter warned that as a result of the systemic crackdown on the legal profession, legal professionals’ and activists’ willingness to express their views [...]

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that terminates the majority of US sanctions imposed on Syria and associated designated persons, effective July 1. Lifting sanctions will represent a significant opportunity for the ravaged Syrian economy. Sanctions against people and entities tied to the ousted Bashar Assad regime, terrorist organizations, and human rights [...]

More than 50,000 people took to the streets of Budapest on Saturday to celebrate the annual Pride March, openly defying the government’s recently imposed anti-LGBTQ+ laws. While government officials, led by conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, threatened legal consequences and strongly opposed the event, no arrests, fines, or violent dispersals by authorities have been reported. [...]

The Government of Panama declared a state of emergency in “the entire province of Bocas del Toro” on Friday, in an ad hoc cabinet meeting, in the background of escalating civil unrest opposing Law 462, implemented on March 18 to reform the social security system. The declaration temporarily suspends constitutional rights, among other things, leading to the suspension [...]

Amnesty International Nigeria on Saturday condemned the invasion of the Yelewata farming community that resulted in the death of approximately 200 people, calling on authorities to immediately act to end the violence. The statement came after gunmen attacked the community in the Nigerian state of Benue late Friday amid a wave of “alarming escalations of [...]

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights Council (UNHRC) warned on Friday that the current regional instability in South Sudan could result in a “collapse” of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, which ended the second South Sudan Civil War. UNHRC said that the current coalescence of military and political unrest requires an urgent coordination of [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Sunday warned that Pakistan’s “blasphemy laws” are being applied in a discriminatory manner toward non-Muslim minorities, resulting in entire communities being forced from their homes. In its 29-page report, HRW claimed that individuals and communities affiliated with religious minorities are denied equality before the law. The organization alerted that communities in [...]