The Federal Republic of Germany on Friday formally recognized the crimes committed by its colonial troops in the early 20th century against the Herero and Nama people, in what is now modern day Namibia, as “genocide”. From 1904 to 1908, German colonial forces are alleged to have called committed genocide against indigenous people in the [...]
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution Thursday establishing an international commission of inquiry to investigate violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict leading up to and since 13 April 2021. The resolution, A/HRC/S-30/L.1, which was adopted by a vote of 24 in favor, 9 against [...]
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Malawi ruled Wednesday that the imposition of the death penalty is unconstitutional and contrary to the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution of Malawi. It further ordered the re-sentencing of all convicts facing execution. The ruling comes following an appeal by Charles Khoviwa, who, despite having no prior convictions, [...]
UN human rights experts expressed serious concern for the independence of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Tuesday, following the recent appointment of new members to the Commission in a process that is seen to be inconsistent with international standards. The statement follows the adoption of an ordinance by the president of Nepal in December, [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that Malta’s system for appointing judges, which provides its prime minister with decisive power in the appointment of members of the judiciary, is not contrary to EU law. The ruling by the court came after Repubblika, an association whose purpose is to promote the protection of justice [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday urged the UK Parliament to amend the proposed new Overseas Operations Bill, which, in its current form, risks undermining key human rights obligations of the UK by “shielding its military personnel operating abroad from due accountability for acts of torture or other serious international crimes.” [...]
The European Commission announced Wednesday that it was referring the Republic of Poland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the adoption of laws that allegedly undermine the independence of judges. The Commission further requested that the ECJ order interim measures seeking the suspension of some provisions of the law until a final judgment [...]
The Council of the European Union imposed sanctions Monday on 11 individuals responsible for the February 1 military coup staged in Myanmar and the subsequent military and police repression against peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators. The restrictive measures, which are an application of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, comprise a travel ban that prevents those [...]
The European Commission sent a letter of formal notice to the UK Monday for breaching the provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol and its good faith obligation under the EU Withdrawal Agreement. The notice was accompanied by a political letter to David Frost, the UK’s co-chair of the Joint Committee, calling on the UK government [...]
The European Parliament voted Tuesday to waive the immunity of former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and two other Catalan separatist MEPs, Antoni Comin and Clara Ponsati, for their role in organizing a 2017 Independence referendum for the Spanish region of Catalonia. Puigdemont’s immunity was lifted by 400 votes to 248, while those of Comin and [...]
