Amnesty International Wednesday urged Croatian authorities to release Turkmenistan-born Russian activist Aysoltan Niyazova because she faces a “great risk of suffering serious abuse, including torture and other ill-treatment, should she be extradited to Turkmenistan.’ Niyazov is a member of Pussy Riot, a Russian performance and protest group. Niyazov traveled to Croatia this week to participate in [...]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and House Speaker Carl Heastie Tuesday confirmed that ten bills have been introduced in the State Assembly and Senate to strengthen New York’s gun regulations following the horrific mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. The bills propose to require the exchange of information [...]

Amnesty International released a report Tuesday documenting numerous atrocities committed by the Myanmar military including the burning of villages, destruction of civilian infrastructure and extrajudicial execution of civilians. After seizing power in a coup d’état on 1 February 2021, the military committed “gross human rights violations” in Myanmar’s Kayin and the Kayah States from December [...]

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Tuesday signed a decree banning the sale of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes in Mexico. The announcement came on World No Tobacco Day and follows the Mexican government’s anti-vaping policy. The decree amends Mexico’s General Law for Tobacco Control. President López, at the press conference announcing the ban, said “Regardless of [...]

The Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) has voted to consider two alternative draft laws on partnerships, with the former being on civil unions and the latter on “close relationships.” The draft Law on Civil Union passed the first reading in the parliament on Thursday, with 70 votes in favor, 49 against and six abstentions. The bill seeks to [...]

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Friday reported 8,766 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country on February 24. The figure includes 4,031 killed and 4,735 injured.  In the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, there had been 4,947 casualties: 4,277 on government-controlled territory, [...]

The Supreme Court of India Thursday passed an order affirming that sex workers also enjoy human rights and constitutional rights, and that the police “should not abuse them, subject them to violence or them into any sexual activity.” The court recalled a decision extending the right to life under article 21 of the Constitution of India beyond [...]

Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation Tuesday ruled that minors who are victims of rape can access abortions without their parents’ consent or without filing a report. In a 10-1 decision, the court rejected claims brought by the Aguascalientes and Baja California state governments which contended that the ‘Official Mexican Standard for family, [...]

Gambia’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, Wednesday confirmed governmental approval to prosecute former President Yahya Jammeh for alleged atrocities. Minister Jallow relayed the confirmation while releasing the government’s white paper on the report of the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). The TRRC was constituted in 2018 to investigate the [...]

Amnesty International Tuesday released its annual Report on Death Sentences and Executions which noted a sharp increase in executions in Iran and Saudi Arabia while describing global use of the death penalty between January and December 2021.  The report reflects that there was a rise in executions and death sentences in 2021 after Covid-19 restrictions [...]