The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Tuesday shared its deep worrying concern about the Iranian security forces’ violent response against Mahsa Amini protesters and reports of arbitrary arrests. OHCHR reported that 23 children have been killed by live ammunition, metal pellets at close range and fatal beatings. The protests in [...]
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Iran lawyers urge UN Special Rapporteur to act immediately in Evin prison fire case
Iranian lawyers Tuesday collectively wrote a letter to the United Nations Special Rapporteur to take immediate action on the explosive shooting that occurred at Tehran’s Evin prison in Iran. They requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) seek information and special commitments from the Iranian government about the number of deaths, [...]
UN human rights office demands stay of execution for two Iranian LGBTQ activists
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Thursday demanded a stay of execution for Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani and Elham Choubdar. In August, the Islamic Revolution Court of Urumieh charged Sedighi-Hamadani and Choubdar with “corruption on earth” for allegedly promoting homosexuality and sentenced both women to death. Sedighi-Hamadani was arrested and arbitrarily detained [...]
Uyghur Tribunal alleges China-sponsored genocide in appended judgment
The Uyghur Tribunal, a self-described “people’s tribunal” established in the UK, Tuesday appended a December 2021 judgment, incorporating nearly 300 additional pages of historical background, definitions and evidence. The stated purpose of the tribunal is to investigate “ongoing atrocities and possible genocide against the Uyghur people” in the People’s Republic of China, though the tribunal [...]
Russia authorities place Alexei Navalny in third solitary confinement this month
Alexei Navalny, a jailed Russian opposition politician, Tuesday said he has been placed in solitary confinement for the third time this month. Navalny is a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, has organised anti-government demonstrations and founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). Navalny has been detained and placed on house arrest on several occasions due to [...]
Canadian province of British Columbia to end cooperation on federal immigration detentions
British Columbia (BC) Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth, announced on Thursday that the provincial government is ending its partnership with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on immigration detentions and will no longer hold detainees in BC correctional facilities. The Minister noted that BC Corrections will provide CBSA with the required 12 [...]
US releases Afghan Guantánamo Bay detainee after 15 years of incarceration
The US Department of Defense Friday announced the release of Asadullah Haroon Gul, an Afghan national who had been held for 15 years without charge in the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. Gul was incarcerated in Guantánamo Bay in 2007 on accusations of being a member of Al-Qaeda and Hezb-e-Islami (HIA), an insurgent group that fought [...]
UN rights experts urge UAE to release British businessman detained since 2008
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has urged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately release Ryan Cornelius, a British businessman, who has been detained in the country since 2008 on fraud charges. The opinion is based on submissions made by Cornelius’ lawyers in the UK. According to the submissions, in 2004, CCH, a German [...]
Amnesty International report reveals sharp execution increase in Iran and Saudi Arabia
Amnesty International Tuesday released its annual Report on Death Sentences and Executions which noted a sharp increase in executions in Iran and Saudi Arabia while describing global use of the death penalty between January and December 2021. The report reflects that there was a rise in executions and death sentences in 2021 after Covid-19 restrictions [...]
UK court sends decision to extradite Julian Assange to home secretary Priti Patel
The United Kingdom’s Westminster Magistrates’ court Wednesday formally ruled that the power to extradite Julian Assange to the US lies with UK Home Secretary Priti Patel. Patel will decide whether Assange will be extradited to the US for prosecution. Starting in 2012, Assange spent seven years at the Ecuadorean embassy in London to avoid being [...]