The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released a report on Tuesday concluding that chemical weapons were “likely used” during the February attacks in Syria. According to the report, the OPCW found chlorine gas in two cylinders and in the environment. Their findings were also supported by eyewitness testimony and the symptoms from [...]

The European Commission announced on Thursday that they will be referring France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the UK to the European Court of Justice over air quality. France, Germany and the UK are being referred to the court due to excessive nitrogen dioxide levels and for “failing to take appropriate measures to keep exceedance [...]

Former Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim received a royal pardon Wednesday and was released after serving three years of his five-year sentence. He was sentenced for sodomy in proceedings that were widely seen as politically motivated . Amnesty International had previously called Anwar’s imprisonment a human rights violation. Malaysia held elections on May 9—their first [...]

The Greek parliament approved a draft bill on Tuesday to expedite the asylum process for migrants and refugees and cure the overcrowded refugee island camps. The bill addresses “issues concerning the reception, hosting and integration of asylum seekers and refugees, speeding up asylum procedures as well as provisions related to immigration policy.” The Migration Policy [...]

Human rights defenders in Pakistan have been the targets of cyber attacks, according to an Amnesty International report Tuesday. The report identifies four different methods of cyber attacks that are being utilized. These include the use of fake social media accounts to deliver malicious surveillance technologies to human rights defenders, phishing attempts to steal human [...]

The High Court of Taiwan on Tuesday sentenced former president Ma Ying-jeou to four months jail for leaking national security and legal documents along with information pertaining to opposition Ker Chien-ming. The High Court of Taiwan overturned a decision from a lower district court, convicting Ma of violating the Communications and Surveillance Act. Ma has [...]

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory Michael Lynk on Tuesday condemned Israel’s excessive use of force toward unarmed protesters at the Gaza fence. For the past few months, human rights experts and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have called for the Israeli government to address its military’s [...]

An Egyptian high court acquitted two police officers on Sunday who were accused of torturing and killing a prominent lawyer, Karim Hamdi, while he was in custody. Hamdi was arrested on suspicion of being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group recognized as a terrorist organization in Egypt. In recent years, the Egyptian government [...]

Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International (AI) Philip Luther on Monday called the use of force by Israeli military against protestors along the border of Gaza and Israel as “wilful killings constituting war crimes.” There have been numerous reports of Palestinians being killed and injured as a [...]

The UN Special Rapporteur on racism E Tendayi Achiume on Friday commended the UK government for its policies aimed at preventing racism but urged further action to end discrimination. In the full report , Tendayi Achiume recognized widespread structural discrimination faced by ethic minorities, ranging from access to education to disproportionate law enforcement. The report [...]