The US Department of the Treasury Friday sanctioned 15 people and 10 entities under new executive orders in a move denouncing human rights abuses. The Department also restricted investments in a Chinese company that uses surveillance technology. Leaders of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China have been sanctioned because of alleged human rights abuses. [...]

A British appellate court Friday overturned a lower court decision that barred Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from being extradited to the United States.  In July 2020, the United States requested the extradition of Mr. Assange based on charges of illegally receiving and publishing classified information. Mr. Assange claims his extradition is barred by the Extradition [...]

The EU Commission Thursday adopted new rules for open-source software distribution. The move is intended to facilitate the Commission’s transmission to make its software source code publicly accessible for the benefit of public services, companies and citizens, within a shorter time period and with less paperwork. The adoption of new rules comes close on the [...]

A new Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) report released Thursday finds the number of journalists who are behind bars worldwide reached a global high in 2021. CPJ finds 293 reporters were imprisoned, at least 24 journalists were killed as a result of their work, and another 18 died under mysterious circumstances as of December 1 [...]

Access Now and a coalition of civil society organizations Wednesday raised alarm over safety and security issues plaguing popular messaging app, Telegram. In an open letter to CEO and co-founder of Telegram Pavel Durov, the coalition detailed what the company can do to ensure that the human rights of their 500 million users are prioritized. [...]

The New Zealand government announced Thursday that it would ban the sale of cigarettes for future generations to reach its smoke-free 2025 implementation plan. The Cabinet paper highlights that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand, causing between 4,500 and 5,000 deaths each year. Smoking-related harm disproportionately impacts Maori, [...]

The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), Italy’s competition authority, announced Thursday that it fined Amazon € 1,128 billion ($1.28 billion) for abusing its dominating market position and harming competitors in the e-commerce logistics industry. The AGCM said that Amazon provides merchants who use its logistics service, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), with advantages [...]

The New Zealand Parliament passed legislation Thursday that will allow people to amend the gender identity on their birth certificates. The country first allowed self-identification on birth certificates in 2018 but required applicants to prove they underwent medical treatment to align their sex and gender identities. The Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2017, [...]

Peru’s Congress voted Tuesday against a motion to impeach Peruvian President Pedro Castillo Terrones. The motion was filed due to an alleged “permanent moral incapacity.” The presidential impeachment motion required approval by 52 legislators before it could be admitted for congressional debate. However, Peru’s Congress voted 76 to 46 against the motion. Subsequently, President of [...]

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of Treasury on Tuesday added 15 individuals across Iran, Syria and Uganda to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on allegations of “serious human rights abuse and repressive acts targeting innocent civilians, political opponents, and peaceful protestors.” Additionally, the OFAC has also designated four [...]