Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on Tuesday saying Hungary’s interference with media freedom and pluralism harms the rule of law. The report, titled “‘I Can’t Do My Job as a Journalist’: The Systematic Undermining of Media Freedom in Hungary,” outlines the obstacles faced by independent journalists and media under the leadership of Prime [...]

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab confirmed on Sunday the arrest and detention of Rocío San Miguel, a prominent human rights activist and leader of the NGO Control Ciudadano, for alleged involvement with a conspiracy to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro. Saab announced on X (formerly Twitter) that a warrant had been issued for San Miguel’s arrest. [...]

Singapore passed a bill on Monday that allows for the indefinite holding of “dangerous offenders” even after they complete their jail sentences. Under the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (SEPP) law, individuals convicted of serious violent offenses, like culpable homicide and attempted murder or serious sexual offenses such as rape and sexual penetration of a [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday called for due process and fairness in the case of Dinara Smailova, a prominent women’s rights advocate in Kazakhstan. HRW expressed concerns that the charges brought against Smailova may be a form of retaliation for her work and an attempt to silence her activism. Smailova is currently facing multiple [...]

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced the commencement of a four-week consultation period for a new local security law under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, on Tuesday. This consultation period will allow Hong Kong citizens to voice their opinions on the new law and have them considered by lawmakers. Article [...]

The Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which allows for specific court rulings from mainland China to be enforced in Hong Kong, officially came into effect on Monday. Hong Kong implemented the arrangement by [...]

A report from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security published Wednesday found that cyberattacks targeting elections are increasing worldwide and are now more likely to be seen during Canada’s next ballot. According to the report, the proportion of elections targeted by cyberattacks has increased from 10 percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2022. Approximately [...]

The Canadian federal government on Wednesday announced an agreement with Google that will see the tech company compensate news Canadian news publishers. This marked a shift from Google’s initial stance of potentially blocking all Canadian news content following the introduction of the new Online News Act. Under the terms of the agreement, Google will contribute [...]

Kenya’s High Court declared on Tuesday that a 1.5 percent levy, introduced in an earlier bill to fund affordable housing, violated constitutional principles. The levy was a provision of the Finance Act 2023, which faced legal challenges earlier this summer amidst mass demonstrations against the cost of living crisis in Kenya. The housing levy was [...]

Russia’s Federal Service for Financial Monitoring added on Thursday three lawyers representing jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny to its list of “terrorists and extremists.” Under Russian law, individuals on the “terrorist and extremist” list face frozen bank accounts and suspended services. This development comes on the heels of the October 13 arrest of the three [...]