The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has sued the province of New Brunswick over its refusal to fund abortions in private-practice clinics. The CCLA argued in its motion that New Brunswick’s failure to fund abortion services violated prior legal precedent and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While New Brunswick does cover the cost [...]

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday ordered the government to rebuild a historical Hindu temple that was vandalized and destroyed last week in Karak. During the hearing, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed directed the authorities to rebuild the Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj Samadhi Temple and to charge expenses to the local Muslim leader, mullah Sharif, whom [...]

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a revenge porn law that criminalizes the sharing of nude images of a person without that person’s consent, ruling that First Amendment protections do not extend to this type of speech. The court reasoned in its opinion that revenge porn does not constitute free speech under the First [...]

The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation added Tuesday prominent women’s rights organization supporting domestic violence victims, Nasiliu.net (“Not to Violence”), to its “foreign agent” list under a controversial law aimed at restricting non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from operating freely. The “foreign agent” status subjects NGOs, the press, and individuals to higher levels of bureaucratic scrutiny, and [...]

A coalition of human rights groups Wednesday joined WhatsApp’s lawsuit against Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group and accused the company of selling Pegasus surveillance software to government agencies to target human rights activists under the guise of terrorism laws. The groups filed an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, alleging [...]

A Texas-led coalition of nine states urged Tuesday a federal judge to invalidate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), arguing that DACA was unlawfully created by former President Barack Obama. The DACA program has enabled thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to work, pursue higher education, live without risk of [...]

Spain’s parliament voted Thursday to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in a 230-140 vote while two abstained. The bill would allow terminally ill patients to choose between euthanasia — performed by a health care professional — or assisted suicide at home with physician-prescribed lethal medications.  Lawmakers are set to vote on a final decision before [...]

Pakistan approved a new anti-rape law Tuesday to allow for speedy trials and chemical castration of convicted serial offenders. The law will also create specialized rape courts designed to deal exclusively with rape and sexual assault cases. President Arif Alvi approved the Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020 and said that it will “help expedite cases of sexual abuse [...]

The Trump administration on Thursday finalized sweeping asylum regulations that will come into force January 11, 2021 as part of a mass immigration crackdown. Under the Final Rule, asylum claims will face greater scrutiny if an immigration court finds that an asylee has traveled through another country before entering the United States without first seeking [...]

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha Thursday threatened to use “all possible laws” against democracy protestors calling for the removal of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. “The government will intensify its actions and use all laws, all articles, to take action against protesters who broke the law,” Prayuth said in a statement. “The situation is not improving. There [...]