Amnesty International urges immediate investigation into war crimes in Merawi, Ethiopia
Amnesty International asserted Friday that African and global human rights bodies must urgently investigate alleged war crimes committed by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in the town of Merawi, Amhara region, on January 29, 2024. This incident, purportedly involving the killings of civilians through murder and extrajudicial executions, stands as one of the deadliest [...]
US DOJ expands firearms background check requirements for gun dealers
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a plan Thursday to expand background check requirements for gun dealers. The goal of the plan is to close loopholes for gun shows and online sales while simultaneously expanding the definition for firearm dealers required to be licensed. The rules, which fulfill provisions in the 2022 Bipartisan Safer [...]
Yonatan Shapira is an ex-captain and pilot in the Israeli Air Force. In 2003, he helped coordinate the circulation of a letter that was signed by 27 Israeli Air Force pilots expressing their refusal to engage in Israeli military actions targeting Palestinians. Additionally, Shapira has endorsed the domestic Israeli movement supporting Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [...]
Arizona legislators showcase resistance to 1864 abortion ban
The Arizona House of Representatives erupted into chants of “shame” on Wednesday after Republican members voted to adjourn instead of discussing a bill that would repeal the state’s 1864 abortion ban. The state’s Supreme Court ruled this week that the Civil War-era law could go into effect, setting off a heated debate in the southwestern [...]
Hong Kong deports Reporters Without Borders representative sent to monitor Jimmy Lai's trial
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stated on Wednesday that Hong Kong authorities detained its representative Aleksandra Bielakowska for six hours and later deported her from the territory. Bielakowska was about to attend the trial of Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily. During the six-hour detainment, the authorities conducted a search three times on Bielakowska and [...]
Somalia expels Ethiopia ambassador over recognition of Somaliland independence
Somalia announced on Thursday the expulsion of the Ethiopian ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware. The announcement comes amid worsening relations between Ethiopia and Somalia regarding the recognition of Somaliland’s independence. In a press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ordered Muktar to depart from Somalia within 72 hours. The Ethiopian Consulates General in [...]
Tennessee Senate passes bill requiring fetal development video in public schools
The Tennessee Senate passed a bill Thursday that would require public schools to show a fetal development video comparable to one produced by an anti-abortion group to its students. SB 2767 will require public schools’ family life curriculum to include a three-minute “high-quality, computer-generated animation or high-definition ultrasound” that shows the development of vital organs [...]
Yonatan Shapira is an ex-captain and pilot in the Israeli Air Force. In 2003, he helped coordinate the circulation of a letter that was signed by 27 Israeli Air Force pilots expressing their refusal to engage in Israeli military actions targeting Palestinians. Additionally, Shapira has endorsed the domestic Israeli movement supporting Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [...]
UK government faces growing calls to suspend arms sales to Israel following aid workers attack
Leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrat Party Sir Ed Davey called upon the UK government on Wednesday to suspend arms sales to Israel. This follows the deaths of British aid workers John Chapman, James Kirby and Jim Henderson, who were among the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers killed in an “unintended strike” by the [...]
Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday upheld most provisions of controversial legislation that imposes a sentence of death by hanging against individuals convicted of “aggravated homosexuality.” In upholding the Anti-Homosexuality Act, the court maintained that though the country’s penal code is “undoubtedly … considered to be a relic from the country’s colonial past,” the bill’s overwhelming [...]
