Shamima Begum, a young woman who left the UK as a schoolgirl to join ISIS in Syria, has recently lost an appeal to regain her British citizenship. This decision, leaving her effectively stateless and in a Syrian detention camp, has sparked renewed debate. In this interview, JURIST speaks with Professor Ben Saul, a UN expert [...]
Search Results for: impunity
UN experts report growing humanitarian crisis due to ongoing fighting in Myanmar
Two senior UN officials told the UN Security Council on Thursday, during the council’s first meeting about Myanmar since the military seized power from the democratically elected government, that the ongoing fighting in Myanmar since the military takeover in 2021 has deprived local communities of basic needs and access to essential services, which has resulted [...]
UN High Commissioner reports unprecedented human rights abuses amid violence in Haiti
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated on Tuesday at the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council that the scale of human rights abuses in Haiti is unprecedented in its modern history. Türk expressed deep concerns over the serious rise in kidnappings and sexual violence, mainly against women and young girls, which [...]
UN Human Rights Committee concerned over Indonesia human rights violations against Papua people
The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) expressed profound concern regarding the systematic occurrence of gross human rights violations against the Papuan people, involving security forces and law enforcement officers in Indonesia. The statement came at the conclusion of its 140th session on Thursday, following the review of reports from Indonesia, Chile, Guyana, Namibia, Serbia, Somalia, and [...]
Ongoing gang violence in Haiti has killed more than 1,500 people this year and lynched dozens by so-called self-defence brigades, the UN Human Rights Office said on Thursday. The office’s findings come after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation on March 11. In the days after, Haiti experienced a surge of violence, including bombings [...]
Hundreds of rights groups urge Biden administration to protect Haiti migrants
Nearly 500 rights groups signed a letter on Wednesday urging the Biden administration to protect Haitian migrants from the rampant gang violence and corruption within the island nation. The groups requested a moratorium on deportations to Haiti and the extension and redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Haitian Bridge Alliance wrote the [...]
EU institutions agree on draft proposal for new independent ethics body
Seven EU institutions are in agreement on the creation of a new ethics body following a press conference with representatives and negotiators. The agreement marks significant progress in the establishment of the body, initially proposed by Parliament in 2021 and deemed “unsatisfactory” in 2023. The call for a regulatory ethics body aims to protect EU [...]
Breaking Barriers: A Global Review of Legislative Reform on Women's Rights
The plight of women’s rights in various countries reflects a complex interplay of legal, cultural and societal norms that significantly disenfranchise women and girls, threatening their human rights and dignity. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Nigeria present challenging environments where women’s rights [...]
US jury convicts former Honduras president on drug trafficking, conspiracy charges
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that a federal jury in New York convicted former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández on three charges for his involvement in a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme. The jury convicted Hernández on all three charges listed in his indictment. These charges included conspiring to import cocaine [...]
At least 126 human rights defenders were murdered in the Americas in 2023, according to a statement published Tuesday by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). The IACHR stated that this high violence rate was directed toward land and environment defenders, leaders of indigenous communities and leaders of communities of African descent. In the [...]