The Associated Press (AP) released an exclusive report Thursday revealing a secret US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spying program that targeted top Venezuelan officials, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, despite the program’s potential illegality under international law. According to AP, the program, internally referred to as Operation Money Badger, has been ongoing since at least [...]
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Australia imposes further sanctions on Myanmar military regime
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong announced Thursday that the government was imposing additional sanctions on five entities with direct links to the Myanmar military. Targets of the sanctions include the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and the Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank, two major banks that support the regime’s activities. The sanctions “are a [...]
Trial of Jimmy Lai: 'It's About Freedom and Democracy,' Says Hong Kong Freedom Committee Director
The Hong Kong trial of prominent pro-democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai has garnered widespread attention globally. Lai, a 76-year-old British citizen and high-profile critic of Beijing, faces national security charges, and his trial is expected to take months. Lai is a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. His detention and subsequent trial exemplify [...]
UK, US and Canada sanction individuals and entities for human rights abuse
The UK, the US and Canada announced coordinated sanctions on Friday against individuals and entities linked to human rights abuse, approaching the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UK has imposed 46 sanctions of asset freezes and travel bans. The first category of these focuses mainly on forced labour [...]
Humanitarian Missions in Afghanistan: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Under the current conditions in Afghanistan, delivering humanitarian aid seems not only a noble endeavor but also an imperative. However, there are challenges for humanitarian actors. Most of the challenges stem from restrictions created by the Taliban, the disastrous situation of the country, the difficulty of reaching out to a large population, and dangers and [...]
This article is the second in a series covering attacks on the rule of law. The rule of law is a political philosophy premised on the promise that all citizens, leaders, and institutions are accountable to the same laws, guaranteed through processes, practices, and norms that work together to support the equality of all citizens [...]
India imposed the highest number of internet shutdowns of any nation in 2022, according to a Tuesday report by digital watchdog Access Now. The report found that India cut internet access 84 times out 187 international shutdowns last year and has accounted for 58 percent of all shutdowns documented by Access Now since 2016. The [...]
HRW rights report: global community must push back against rising authoritarianism
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday released its 2023 World Report on the state of human rights. The report made clear that a rising tide of authoritarianism is a major threat to global human rights and that “unchecked authoritarian power leaves behind a sea of human suffering.” Authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin in Russia, Xi Jing [...]
Only a few days after protests started in Iran, the right to access the internet was restricted and social platforms were filtered. The government of Iran used the unrest as an excuse and started moving towards the establishment of the National Internet. The limited access to the internet started during the first week of the [...]
Iran dispatch: 'The execution of protesters is actually fueling the social movement in Iran'
Sharareh Abdolhoseinzadeh is a PhD in Political Sociology and a political researcher in Tehran. Saturday was International Human Rights Day, but the situation in Iran is extremely anti-human. Serious decisions and executions of youths arrested in protests have started, and thousands of detainees live in limbo. Iran is sad. Everyone is shocked. People came to [...]