The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded on Wednesday that widespread enforced disappearances and torture committed by Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine constitute crimes against humanity. The announcement marks a significant development, as crimes against humanity constitute one of the most serious classifications of international crimes. Central to the commission’s [...]

The defense ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia announced on Tuesday that they have unanimously recommended their countries’ withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention due to heightened security risks amid escalating tensions with Russia.  The statement read: We believe that in the current security environment it is paramount to provide our defence forces flexibility and [...]

A Guatemala appeals court has overturned the house arrest orders imposed on journalist José Rubén Zamora on March 4, according to a statement published by Amnesty International on Wednesday. Following the court’s ruling, Zamora was returned to jail on Monday. Amnesty International condemned the re-imprisonment of Zamora, calling his new arrest arbitrary and part of [...]

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned about the increasing backlash against women’s rights worldwide on Tuesday. At the ongoing 69th Commission on the Status of Women, Guterres called for urgent action to safeguard hard-won progress. Guterres warned: Women’s organizations and civil society played a major role in securing those gains. I applaud your efforts. Yet, [...]

The United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday that severe funding cuts jeopardize decades of progress in the global fight against Tuberculosis. The warning comes amid rising concerns globally that reduced financial support, especially from the US, could stall or reverse any gains in tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. WHO noted that the funding [...]

Serbia’s opposition lawmakers on Tuesday threw smoke grenades and tear gas inside the National Assembly to support demonstrating students. One legislator suffered a stroke during the chaos and three MPs were injured, and politicians were seen clashing with security on live footage. The opposition members defended their actions, stating that the government had refused to [...]

Digital rights organization Eko filed complaints with data protection authorities in multiple European countries on Thursday, challenging US technology giant Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) over its targeted advertising practices. Five thousand members of the group filed complaints with the data protection watchdogs in Norway, Germany, and Spain after having collected evidence [...]

The son of Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu jailed for espionage called for his father’s release on Monday at a National Press Club event where he denounced his father’s conviction as the Chinese government’s crackdown on press freedom. Dong Yuyu’s son, Dong Yifu, has called on Japanese authorities in Washington to assist, emphasizing that his father [...]

A key organizer of the Freedom Convoy protests that paralyzed Canada’s capital city for a month in 2022 was sentenced on Wednesday to three months of house arrest. Ontario Superior Court judge Charles Hackland also sentenced organizer Pat King to 12 months of probation, to begin once King’s house arrest ends. The sentence additionally includes [...]

Former prosecutor Nathaniel Akerman urged a federal judge overseeing the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams to appoint a special counsel to review the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) abrupt request to drop charges on Monday. Akerman was a Watergate prosecutor, and his move comes amid growing criticism of the DOJ’s handling of [...]