On December 6, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres, acting under Article 99 of the UN Charter, formally warned the UN Security Council of a looming global threat from the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. This is the first time that Guterres has invoked Article 99 since becoming Secretary-General, and only the fourth [...]
Search Results for: Lebanon
Authorities in Türkiye announced the arrest of seven people on Friday alleged to have been operating as spies for Mossad, the Israeli state intelligence service. According to the state-run media platform Anadolu, which was the first outlet to announce news of the arrests, “an investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office revealed [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for Meta to improve their protection of LGBTQ+ people on Facebook and Instagram on Tuesday. This new campaign follows an HRW report from 2023, which found that security forces in the Middle East and North Africa use social media platforms to gather evidence to prosecute them. A new campaign, titled [...]
US and UK defend strikes on Houthis at UN Security Council amid fears of escalation
The US and UK defended the legality of their strikes launched in Yemen against Houthi rebels at the UN Security Council’s Friday meeting. The airstrikes, conducted by an international coalition led by the United States and supported by Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, drew international attention and sparked a broader debate on the [...]
HRW annual rights report: 'transactional diplomacy' threatens global human rights system
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its 2024 World Report on Thursday detailing the state of global human rights. The report’s central theme was that “transactional diplomacy” undermined global human rights institutions and enabled autocrats to worsen violations. HRW Executive Director Tiran Hassan described “transactional diplomacy” as when “governments disregard the benefits of long-term relationships built [...]
Türkiye prosecutor orders detention of 15 suspected Israel spies
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced on Friday that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the detention of 15 people suspected of spying for Israel. The 15 arrested are part of a larger group of 34 people suspected of espionage. Yilmaz’s announcement says that the 15 suspects were detained following an investigation by the [...]
UN Secretary General closes special tribunal for former Lebanon PM assassination
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres officially closed Saturday an international tribunal established to probe the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Secretary-General’s spokesperson acknowledged the Special Tribunal’s closure of the Special Tribunal and emphasized that three individuals were found guilty in connection with the assassination in absentia proceedings and sentenced to five [...]
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Thursday an injury sustained by one of its peacekeeper’s during a patrol mission the same day. The peacekeeper was reportedly attacked by local male villagers in a Tabyeh, an area in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL claimed that the attack on a peacekeeper was a clear violation of [...]
45 journalists killed in 2023, marking lowest toll since 2002: RSF report
In its annual report, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) revealed that 45 journalists were killed in line with their work in 2023, marking the lowest total since 2002. The report also revealed that 54 journalists were held hostage, 84 remain missing and 521 are currently detained. The report identified varying trends contributing to these numbers, such [...]
Palestinian Statehood and Demilitarization: A Falsifying Conjunction
“For by wise counsel, thou shalt make thy war.” Proverbs 24:6 Though one might think otherwise, there is no Palestinian state at present, nor has there ever been such a state in the past. Still, once the current Gaza War comes to an end – and whatever the tangible correlates of any war termination agreements [...]