The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution declaring that access to a clean, healthy environment is a universal human right. The move was lauded by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a historic decision that evidenced the commitment of UN member states to fighting climate change and fostering a more sustainable environmental future. “The [...]

As war rages in Ukraine, and Moscow faces increasingly grim economic prospects following a raft of powerful Western sanctions, Washington and Moscow have exchanged mutual accusations this week of humanitarian law violations. The main part that doesn’t match up is the timeline; while the White House believes Putin is a “war criminal” as civilian casualties [...]

The European Union voted unanimously on Friday to introduce a broad range of legal protections for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine — an announcement that came on the heels of accusations by UN officials and human rights activists of racial discrimination against refugees of color. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [...]

The White House on Thursday announced damaging sanctions against some of Russia’s most prominent oligarchs, broadening its crackdown on the billionaires the White House accuses of enabling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “War of Choice,” according to a statement released Thursday. Among those subjected to full-blocking sanctions under the latest wave of sanctions is Alisher Usmanov, [...]

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spilled into its second day, bringing violent attacks to Kyiv and throughout Ukraine, civilian casualty figures surged, prompting expressions of concern from a variety of human rights groups. As of Friday, the UN Human Rights Office said it had been informed of at least 127 civilian casualties, but warned the [...]

As Russian troops closed in on Ukraine by land, sea and air on Thursday, US, Canadian and EU leaders imposed new waves of sanctions against Moscow, citing grave concerns that left unchecked, Russian aggression threatens to upend global order. Earlier Thursday, Russia’s Vladimir Putin ordered a so-called “special military operation” into Ukraine — essentially a [...]

A US district court on Thursday restored federal protections for the gray wolf, reversing a 2020 policy decision that had dissolved their favored status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In so holding, Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White of the US District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland awarded summary judgment [...]

Congolese authorities have failed to investigate or take meaningful legislative action with respect to the killings of 40 indigenous children and upwards of two dozen adult members of the Iyeke people during a violent massacre in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday. “The silence surrounding the horrific [...]

An Ohio woman pleaded guilty to defrauding the US and Polish governments in connection with an illicit adoption to a convicted criminal that resulted in the hospitalization of a child, according to court documents obtained Monday by JURIST. Margaret Cole, former executive director of European Adoption Consultants (EAC) — a Strongsville, Ohio agency that facilitated [...]

North Korea has conducted ballistic missile testing in clear violation of international law, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a scathing statement released Tuesday.  Pyongyang provoked an international uproar this weekend after conducting long-range ballistic missile testing. The latest round was the most significant of its kind since 2017, and the seventh iteration of missile [...]