The Ecuadorian government’s financial agency froze indigenous and environmental groups’ bank accounts using secret intelligence information in an apparent effort to silence protests, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, commented that the measures in question constitute a misuse of anti-money laundering mechanisms, which “should be used to [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday that Tunisian authorities have arrested three prominent activists following a “sham trial.” The organization urges authorities to immediately overturn the “unjust convictions” and release those detained. Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW, highlighted the political significance of the detentions by saying: The arrests [...]

UN anti-racism experts on Tuesday raised “grave concerns” about ethnically motivated human rights violations and abuses in Sudan. The Committee urged Sudan to act to put an end to these violations and prevent further escalation. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued this decision under early warning and urgent procedures mechanisms. The experts [...]

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday announced a regional state of emergency following a wave of coups and attempted coups that have destabilized several member countries on the western region bloc. The declaration was made during the 55th session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council in Abuja, Nigeria by the [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down a 20-year prison sentence on Tuesday to former Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region of Sudan. Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, was found guilty of 27 counts of crimes, including murder, rape, torture, persecution, [...]

Indonesia repatriated two Dutch nationals, with one of them on death row, to the Netherlands on Monday, following a bilateral agreement signed between the two countries. Both were convicted of smuggling illegal substances and had served lengthy sentences under the Indonesian drug laws before their repatriation. The two men were facing health problems, partially due [...]

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 1312 into law on Tuesday, establishing protections which limit civil immigration enforcement activities across multiple public settings throughout the state. This new legislation includes Article 5, known as the Illinois Bivens Act, which establishes a private right of action allowing individuals to sue for constitutional violations during civil immigration [...]

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to end its six-month federalization of the California National Guard, ruling the deployment lacks legal justification. US federal law (10 USC § 12406) permits the president to federalize National Guard troops only when the nation faces invasion, rebellion, or the president is unable to execute federal [...]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a foreign terrorist organization. The executive order, an unprecedented step at the state level, cites a supposed connection between the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as the primary justification for the designation. The Florida order specifically targets CAIR [...]