The First Circuit Court of the State of Hawai’i Thursday rejected a motion to dismiss by the Hawai’i Department of Transportation to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the department is violating the state constitution by failing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Judge Jeffrey Crabtree ruled that the plaintiffs in the case alleged a viable cause [...]

Iranian authorities Saturday announced the installation of surveillance cameras in various public locations to identify and penalise women who defy the national religious dress code by not wearing a hijab. The number of women publicly resisting Iran’s dress code has spiked following protests arising from the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the course of [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday applauded the passage of an African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) resolution supporting the rights of intersex individuals. The resolution calls for the promotion and protection of intersex peoples, those “born naturally with a chromosomal abnormality and reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not appear to fit the [...]

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) Thursday urged the international community to demand the release of Toomaj Salehi, a rapper and voice of Iran’s protest movement. Iran police arrested and detained Salehi for taking part in protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed while in custody for improper dressing. [...]

Investigators from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Friday formally charged Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage. Nevertheless, Gershkovich and WSJ continue to deny the charges and maintain the American reporter’s innocence. Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 29 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Since then, Gershkovich has been kept in a Russian detention [...]

ProPublica Thursday released a report purporting to show substantial, unreported gifts accepted by US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. ProPublica, a US-based news source, relied upon flight records, internal memos and individuals present at specific events to compile the allegations. If true, the report raises potentially serious ethical violations. The issues uncovered by the report [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Thursday opened a civil investigation into the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Dalaneo Martin by a US Park Police officer on March 18 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes two days after the US Park Police released police bodycam footage of the shooting. [...]

Lithuania’s Minister of Justice Ewelina Dobrowolska on Thursday announced that the Lithuanian government will be filing a complaint against Belarus for “non-compliance” with international law regarding exploitative migration. The compensatory amount of 120 million euros is to cover the violation of international law, the damage the migration has caused and legal remedies. Belarus has had several sanctions [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Friday condemned Sri Lanka’s proposed Anti-Terrorism Act, arguing that it would allow authorities to systematically violate fundamental human rights. HRW recommended that the government withdraw the bill until it can properly uphold international human rights standards. The current format of the bill, intended to replace the 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act, [...]

The US Supreme Court Thursday refused to reinstate West Virginia’s ban on transgender athletes. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. They would have granted the state’s application and allowed the law to be enforced. The justices also reproached the lower courts for staying the law without explanation. In 2021, West Virginia passed a law [...]