On Tuesday, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, spoke at the fifth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, where he described reparations as “key to dismantling systemic racism.” Türk called for member states to adopt and enforce anti-racism laws, policies and practices; include young people of African descent [...]

A group of UN independent experts on Wednesday denounced the assassination of human rights advocate Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize, and urged South Africa to hold perpetrators accountable. The experts, referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, stated: We urge South Africa to ensure a prompt, effective, impartial and thorough investigation into the [...]

UN experts on Thursday insisted on accountability for trafficking allegations contained in the Epstein files, warning that disclosures emerging from the documents indicate that the systemic trafficking continues. UN experts Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, as well as Claudia Flores, Ivana Krstić, Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu and [...]

Amnesty International applauded on Wednesday the Italian government’s suspension its decades-long defense agreement with Israel, due to growing opposition to the Israeli military operations in the Middle East. Italy’s decision marks a departure from the right-wing government’s traditional supportive relationship with Israel. Opposition parties and Italian civil society voices had pushed for the action, as [...]

Maine’s legislature on Tuesday passed a temporary moratorium on the construction of large data centers through November 1, 2027, making Maine the first state in the US to impede facility expansion as lawmakers study their strain on the state’s power grid. The bill prohibits state agencies and municipalities from approving data centers that consume 20 [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement on Wednesday in support of a group in Zambia that has called for the African Union to take steps to clean up a mine site that has caused child led-poisoning. Complainants included the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, Zambian nongovernmental organizations, and affected families. The [...]

A US federal jury Wednesday found Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster violated multiple federal antitrust laws, determining the companies held an illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry and overcharged consumers $1.72 per ticket. The verdict, reached in United States v. Live Nation Entertainment before the US District Court for the Southern District [...]

Samridh Chaturvedi is a JURIST correspondent and a third-year law student at the School of Law, Christ (Deemed to be University) where he covers legal, policy, and human rights developments in India. Harish Rana, the first person in India to obtain legal authorization for passive euthanasia, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Thursday that Chinese authorities are increasing their pressure on “underground” Catholic communities to join the state-controlled church. The recent intensification includes subjecting clergy to intense political or ideological training. Greater restrictions have also been imposed on religious activities on official church premises, including registration requirements for church services and the [...]