Human Rights Watch reported on Friday that the fourth UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Laos showed little progress over the past five years, and condemned the country’s attacks on dissidents and activists.  HRW criticized the country for not meeting rights obligations in ceasing arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and partial investigations. Containing 271 [...]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on April 4 urged the Caribbean island nation of Dominica to investigate the apparent police attack on a journalist last month during the protests, which erupted in response to the passage of certain legislation. A police officer allegedly verbally abused EmoNews journalist Soana Benjamin and seized her equipment. RSF executives have [...]

UN experts urged the Colombian government on Thursday to protect its civilians and called on the non-state armed groups to cease their attacks against the civilians, after the escalation of the conflict in the Catatumbo region of the Department of Norte de Santander. The experts noted that the conflict, which began on 16th January, has [...]

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) plans to halve the food rations to $6 a month per refugee starting next month. Amnesty International on Thursday called on the international community to step up and support the WFP to avoid a devastating impact on the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.  With 95 percent of Rohingya households dependent [...]

Brazil Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Wednesday ordered X Brasil Internet Ltda. (the Brazil branch of what was formerly Twitter) to pay a fine of R$8.1 million (approximately $1.4 million) due to a lack of compliance with multiple court orders. The penalty arose from the platform’s refusal to provide registration details of [...]

Poland’s Warshaw Court of Appeal ordered a retrial of activist Justyna Wydrzyńska Thursday, citing concerns over judicial impartiality. Human rights organizations welcomed the decision, contending that abortion should not be criminalized.  The appellate court remitted the case to the trial court for reconsideration, finding that bias on the part of a trial judge had tainted [...]

Delegates of nine nations on Friday gathered to form the Hague Group and coordinate legal, diplomatic and economic measures against Israel’s violations of international law in the State of Palestine. These countries include Belize, Cuba, Namibia, Honduras, Senegal, South Africa, Colombia, Bolivia and Malaysia. The group in their inaugural joint statement affirmed their position to [...]