The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded on Tuesday that Russian authorities have committed torture as a crime against humanity in Ukraine. The commission’s report confirmed that torture practices were widespread in all Ukrainian provinces under Russian control and in Russia’s detention facilities. The commission collected testimonies from civilians who had been [...]

Iran executed dual Iranian-German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd on Monday. German Foreign Minister Annalaena Barbock stated: “I condemn the murder of Jamshid Sharmahd by the Iranian regime in the strongest possible terms. Jamshid Sharmahd was abducted to Iran from Dubai, held for years without a fair trial, and has now been killed.” Sharmahd was first arrested [...]

A Dutch court ordered the Central Organ for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) to pay the municipality of Westerwolde 50,000 euros per day that its Ter Apel asylum seeker reception center exceeds 2,000 occupants, local media reported Wednesday. The potential penalty could reach up to 5 million euros in total. The COA reported that [...]

Press freedom organizations urged the Georgian government to protect journalists on Thursday, following a surge of threats and restrictions targeting reporters covering the country’s recent parliamentary election. A joint report reveals a concerning environment for journalists covering the elections, which were held on October 26. In one incident, a CNews reporter was assaulted at a [...]

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty expressed his concerns in a letter published Wednesday over the situation of migrants and asylum seekers within the UN-controlled buffer zone on Cyprus. He urged the Cypriot government to abide by its obligations under international law regarding migratory movements, not only within the buffer zone but [...]

Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a call by Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for the court to set aside its earlier ruling that suspended the speaker’s decision on October 17 to declare four Parliament seats vacant. The court’s ruling, as delivered by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, stated it is a basic principle of law in [...]

Amnesty International called on Mozambican authorities to end attacks on protesters and journalists during nationwide demonstrations after it was announced that Daniel Chapo and the ruling party Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (FRELIMO) won the country’s general elections on October 9. Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa, said: Mozambique’s authorities [...]

A South Korean advocacy group released a report on Thursday noting that more than 100 North Koreans have gone missing after trying to defect. The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) published the findings as a part of its mapping project for North Korea. TJWG held interviews with 62 North Koreans who fled their country and [...]

A report released Wednesday by the Associated Press showed groups supporting constitutional amendments for abortion rights in nine states have raised more than $160 million. The amount raised by pro-choice groups exceeded their opponents by six-to-one. Florida represented the majority of the money raised nationally. Proponents of Amendment 4, which would prohibit the state from [...]

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) set out on Wednesday to work directly with Indonesia’s Palm Oil Industry in order to combat corruption in the country. This comes after the UNODC organized a workshop to bring together different private and public actors, such as the Indonesian Palm Oil Association and the national Corruption [...]