Global executions hit highest level since 2015: Amnesty International
Global executions hit the highest level since 2015, with serious increases mainly in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International said in its 2023 annual report on the global use of the death penalty on Wednesday 1,153 executions were recorded in 2023 globally, marking an increase of more than 30 per cent from 2022. [...]
Red Cross says Houthis unilaterally released 113 detainees in Sana'a, Yemen
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Sunday that the Houthi rebel group in Yemen has unilaterally released 113 detainees in Sana’a, the capital city that came under Houthi control in September 2014. The ICRC facilitated the release at the request of the Houthi National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs. ICRC’s head of delegation [...]
Saudi Arabia appointed Dr Faisal Al-Mujfel as its first ambassador to Syria since relations were severed in 2012 on Sunday. This appointment comes after Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Syria earlier this year. The diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Syria initially deteriorated following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, sparked [...]
After a 15-hour search, the wreckage of a helicopter carrying Iran’s president and foreign minister was located by a Turkish drone, leaving a nation to grapple with an unexpected transition of power. Ebrahim Raisi was the eighth president of Iran to have been killed in the last year of his first term. When he ascended [...]
Interim leader appointed after Iran president killed in helicopter crash
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday named a caretaker president and outlined constitutionally mandated succession plans following Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash. The helicopter carrying Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian crashed in foggy conditions in northeastern Iran on Sunday, according to official state media. Search and rescue teams found [...]
US House passes bill forcing Biden to send weapons to Israel
The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would restrict President Joe Biden’s ability to withhold weapons transfers to Israel, aiming to force the president to deliver certain weapons after he previously placed shipments on hold. The bill, known as the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, was crafted “o provide for the [...]
Australia court dismisses Iranian asylum seeker's plea and orders return
The Australian High Court passed a judgement on Friday that dismissed an Iranian asylum seeker’s plea to be released from immigration detention and enter the country. The Iranian asylum seeker, applicant ASF-17, applied to the Federal Court of Australia for a writ of habeas corpus in 2023 on the basis that his continuing detention exceeded [...]
Writers imprisoned worldwide in 2023 hits five-year high: free expression group report
PEN America, a freedom of expression advocacy group, reported Wednesday that at least 339 writers were incarcerated as of 2023, including more than 100 from China alone, a five-year high. The group has been releasing editions of their Freedom to Write Index since 2019 (based on a detailed methodology), and the 2023 report marks the [...]
US accuses Israel military forces of human rights violations
Five Israeli military units have committed gross human rights violations, according to the US State Department on Monday. Despite these findings, all of the units currently remain eligible for US military aid. According to the US and Israel, four units have effectively remediated the violations, but discussions continue regarding the remaining Israel Defense Forces (IDF) [...]
The US Department of State released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on Monday, amidst the seventy-fifth anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UDHR. The report emphasized “several new commitments, including to renew investments around the world in democracy and human rights, to help protect human rights defenders online, [...]
