On the first anniversary of her sentencing, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a renewed call for Chinese journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin’s immediate release. Huang, whose work helped ignite China’s #MeToo movement, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of inciting “subversion of state power.” RSF condemned the verdict as arbitrary and politically motivated, [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday called for the G7 leaders to denounce and sanction Israeli officials for recent actions in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The call came days ahead of the G7 summit to be held in Kananaskis, Canada. The HRW letter called on leaders to use the summit to [...]

The US-based Human Rights Research Center (HRRC) on Friday called on Hungarian authorities to permit this year’s annual Budapest Pride march to proceed without interference, urging respect for the fundamental right to peaceful assembly. The HRRC’s intervention comes as Budapest police recently denied permission for the upcoming June 28 Pride march, now celebrating its 30th [...]

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council on Thursday that Yemen faces economic “free fall” and escalating conflict risks, demanding urgent humanitarian and diplomatic interventions. Amid the Houthi attacks on Israel and retaliatory strikes by Israel on Yemeni infrastructure, Grundberg stressed that fragile frontlines threaten renewed violence, particularly in Marib. Grundberg [...]

United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Türk expressed alarm over escalating violence in Haiti on Friday, as gangs expand territory and continue to commit extrajudicial homicides, kidnappings and rapes. Türk stated: Alarming as they are, numbers cannot express the horrors Haitians are being forced to endure on a daily basis. I am horrified by the [...]

The Investigative Committee of Yaroslavl Oblast initiated a criminal proceeding on Thursday against Russian LGBTQA+ activist Yaroslav Sirotkin on the charges of participation in an “extremist organization,” according to local media. According to the investigation, Sirotkin posted 14 social media posts and videos that included “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” between December 2023 and January [...]

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday urged both Iran and Israel to exercise “maximum restraint” to prevent deeper conflict. The statement comes amid a sudden escalation between the two states following Israel’s attacks on various nuclear installations in Iran. Condemning the Israeli strikes, the statement from the secretary-general’s office expressed concerns about a wider conflagration [...]

Kenyan youth held demonstrations in the streets of Nairobi on Thursday, protesting against police brutality, extrajudicial killings, and Kenya’s anticipated 2025-2026 budget release. Demonstrations were fueled by the death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and prominent social media commentator who was found dead in police custody late last week. The agitation of Kenyan youth stems [...]

The Peruvian Congress on Wednesday approved an amnesty law for members of the Armed Forces, the National Police, and self-defense militias over the age of 80 who were prosecuted or convicted for crimes committed during Peru’s internal armed conflict, despite continuing concern from human rights groups. The president of the committee that drafted the legislation, [...]

Saint Petersburg legislators approved a municipal bill Wednesday to introduce fines for “encouragement of abortions,” to purportedly help create a “safe … family and motherhood informational environment” in the region. The bill would establish an increasing fine scale for citizens, public persons, and people in legal professions for encouraging abortions. When asked why the male [...]