The standing committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) on Friday amended the national criminal law to remove 13 offenses from the list of crimes subject to the death penalty . Those removed are non-violent...
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Tuesday that the Libyan government's response to recent protests may amount to crimes against humanity . Pillay cited the use of machine guns, snipers and military planes...
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for an end to violence against protesters in Bahrain, referencing recent attempts to quell protests sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa . Ban said...
An Italian judge on Tuesday ordered billionaire media mogul and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial on charges of paying for sex with a minor and abuse of power. Berlusconi allegedly paid...
A Turkish government inquiry into the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla faulted Israeli soldiers Friday for violating international law. The panel's final report indicates at least two activists were killed before commandos boarded ...
Prominent Chinese rights activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife have been "beaten senseless" by authorities, according to Friday reports from China Aid and Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) . Chen, who...
Syrian Internet users reported on Tuesday that social media sites Facebook and YouTube are accessible without proxy servers or VPNs. Syria appears to be lifting the ban imposed in 2007 as...
The Cuban Roman Catholic Church announced Friday that Cuban officials have agreed to release two more political prisoners. The agreement includes allowing Angel Moya to stay in Cuba and Guido Sigler to go to the...
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay , offered technical assistance on Tuesday to Haitian authorities in the prosecution of former Haitian president Jean-Claude Duvalier for serious human rights...
Spanish judge Eloy Velasco on Friday set a March 1 deadline for the US government to indicate whether Guantanamo abuse allegations will be investigated by US lawyers before deciding whether to allow a controversial lawsuit against former Bush administration...