Twenty-four volunteers of the humanitarian NGO Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI) were acquitted this Thursday after facing criminal charges for more than seven years, following their arrest during search and rescue operations on the Greek island of Lesvos in August 2018. The court, presided over by Judge Vassilis Papathanassiou, stated: “Waiting to rescue a human [...]

Amnesty International on Friday called on the Cambodian government to support victims who escaped from scamming compounds. The rights group reported on 15 videos showing thousands of escape attempts and releases at 10 compounds across Cambodia in the past 36 hours. Amnesty International’s regional research director Montse Ferrer said: Footage appearing to show the mass [...]

Myanmar on Friday began its defense before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the ground-breaking genocide case brought by the Gambia, rejecting all allegations of genocide against the Muslim Rohingya minority. Myanmar’s agent Ko Ko Hlaing emphasized Myanmar’s recognition of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, but said [...]

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on several charges, including obstruction of investigators’ attempt to detain him last year. This marks the first criminal sentence imposed as a result of Yoon’s December 2024 declaration of martial law. Friday’s sentencing convicts Yoon [...]

UN officials and human rights organizations have raised alarm over Iran’s response to nationwide protests, warning that the use of lethal force by security forces may constitute serious violations of international law. Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee briefed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, describing the situation in Iran as “fluid and [...]

The UN Committee against Torture found Wednesday that Australia violated the Convention against Torture by exposing an Iranian asylum seeker to torture and cruel treatment through offshore transfer and prolonged immigration detention. The decision concerns an asylum seeker known as Mr A, who fled Iran in 2013, fearing persecution, and arrived in Australia by boat [...]

Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was charged on Wednesday for allegedly offering bribes to members of the Ukrainian parliament. On Tuesday, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) accused an unnamed political leader of bribery. Later that day, NABU and SAPO conducted searches at the offices of [...]

A UN expert warned on Thursday that growing use of excessive and unlawful use of lethal force by US military and security forces both internationally and domestically is “gravely concerning.” The report came from Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. He condemned US official statements indicating a “shoot-to-kill” policy and explained [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated on Thursday that the internet shutdown imposed during Uganda’s elections violates fundamental rights and undermines election integrity, urging authorities to immediately restore full internet access. HRW researcher Tomiwa Ilori noted that by suspending internet services, Uganda has failed to comply with its obligations under the constitution and international law, which [...]

Marine Le Pen, the former leader of France’s far-right party, the National Rally, appeared in court on Tuesday to appeal the penalty for her March 2025 embezzlement conviction. The central issue in the appeal centers on whether Le Pen’s penalty is legal and reasonable. Following the conviction, Le Pen was “barred from running for office [...]