Amnesty International finds Bangladesh digital security law being 'weaponized' against free speech
Amnesty International on Thursday published a report detailing the Bangladesh government’s crackdown on freedom of expression online by use of the country’s controversial Digital Security Act (DSA). The DSA was introduced in October 2018 and contains some wide-ranging provisions that enable the authorities to trample on the guarantee of freedom of speech and expression. Under [...]
Deeds, Not Words: The U.S. Must Rescind the Anti-ICC Executive Order Now
The recent review of the U.S. human rights record at the United Nations through the Universal Periodic Review process yielded 347 recommendations for improvement, 80% of which the U.S. accepted. Among them were several urging the U.S. to rescind a Trump-era executive order targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC) and those who support it. Just [...]
In 2006 as the Human Rights Council was being set up, I wrote an opinion piece on this website in which I shared, among other aspects, my impressions as to how the Council would shape up. Experience thus far produced mixed assessment. The transition from the Commission to the Council took a couple of years, [...]
UN rights chief urges changes to Australia migration and asylum laws
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called Tuesday for changes to Australian migration and asylum laws. In a speech at the Australian Human Rights Commission conference, Bachelet called for a national conversation to develop a platform to be presented at Australia’s Universal Periodic Review in front of the UN Human Rights Council. The [...]
Liew Vui Keong, chief minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office, announced Wednesday that Malaysia would abolish the death penalty by the next sitting of Parliament. The move comes after several humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International, called for the death penalty’s abolition as a result of the execution of several minor offenders, including Westerners. Upon [...]
Federal court upholds Utah election law despite Republican legal challenge
The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a Utah election law allowing candidates to bypass the traditional caucus-convention system and requiring signatures for State House and Senate seats for the primary...
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic on Thursday acknowledged the Republic of Moldova's recent efforts to address governmental issues and promote human rights. Simonovic noted various reforms implemented by Prime Minister...
The UN Human Rights Council on Monday reviewed the US human rights record as part of its Universal Periodic Reviews, expressing concern over excessive use of force by law enforcement, racial discrimination, and minority rights,...
Bahrain Public Prosecution on Sunday extended the period of detention of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab by 15 days, citing a need for further investigation. According to Rajab's wife, the activist was...
Envoys from the US and UK strongly criticized the Egyptian government Wednesday during a session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Remarks by the two nations came during the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review...
