Human Rights Watch released a report Wednesday claiming that high numbers of Chinese students at Australian universities have created an environment of self-censorship, with lecturers avoiding criticism of Beijing and Chinese students staying silent for fear of harassment. In the report titled “They Don’t Understand the Fear We Have”, the rights group highlights the surveillance [...]
The European Union Council adopted European climate law to make the bloc’s greenhouse gas emissions targets legally binding on Monday, giving the law the final seal of approval. This action ends the adoption procedure and sets into legislation the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050. The approval follows a political agreement reached with the [...]
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged the UN and member countries to pressure Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to stop alleged human rights abuses, including a crackdown on opposition figures ahead of the presidential election in November. According to the report, the period leading up to November’s elections has seen Ortega launch a campaign of arbitrary [...]
Grave violations against children in conflict remain alarmingly high, with the COVID-19 pandemic increasing their vulnerability, according to a UN report released Monday. The annual Children and Armed Conflict report covers the period from January to December 2020. It claims that grave violations against children are at nearly 26,500 due to increased vulnerability to abduction, [...]
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards signed a new law on Tuesday that eliminates prison time for the possession of modest amounts of marijuana. The new law is the latest move away from Louisiana’s traditionally strict stance on the drug. The bill makes the possession of 14 grams or less a misdemeanor in all cases and [...]
Nevada lawmakers approved legislation Tuesday to create a public health insurance plan, bringing the bill one step closer to becoming law. Nevada Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak has said he intends to sign the public option bill. In 2017, then-governor Brian Sandoval, a Republican, vetoed a public option proposal that would have allowed anyone in the [...]
Chad’s defense ministry said Sunday that troops of their neighboring country the Central African Republic (CAR) had attacked a Chadian military post and that these actions amounted to a war crime. Chad’s Foreign Minister, Cherif Mahamat Zene said “The Central African armed forces attacked the outpost of Sourou in Chad on Sunday morning … killed [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement Tuesday calling on the Cambodian government to immediately cease its assault on freedom of expression in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement is endorsed by 12 international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists. The statement highlights Cambodia’s COVID-19 response, acknowledging that [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday against a non-US citizen who was contesting his indictment for unlawful re-entry into the country. The case, US v. Palomar-Santiago, involved Refugio Palomar-Santiago, a Mexican citizen who became a lawful permanent resident in 1990. In 1998, an immigration judge found that Palomar-Santiago had committed an aggravated felony under [...]
The US House of Representatives approved legislation on Tuesday that aims to strengthen federal efforts to address hate crimes directed at Asian-Americans, clearing the measure for President Joe Biden’s signature. The bill, which specifically addresses the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, was passed by the Senate last month in [...]
