Montreal city police launched an investigation on Wednesday into an arson attack that targeted the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue and Jewish community center, as well as the offices of Federation CJA, a Jewish philanthropic organization, in the Dollard-des-Ormeaux suburb the previous night. The incident involved an incendiary device that caused minor damage, including broken glass [...]
In a significant move, the Swiss parliament has officially recognized the atrocities committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) against Iraq’s Yazidi community as constituting an act of genocide. The motion, passed on Tuesday, condemns the systematic expulsion, rape and murder of Yazidis, and the destruction of their cultural sites. The majority of the Swiss National [...]
A joint report released Wednesday by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) revealed a pattern of arbitrary detention in South Sudan as well as human rights abuses committed by both government security forces and organized armed groups. The report, which covers the [...]
The Supreme Court of Ghana on Wednesday dismissed constitutional challenges launched against a bill that criminalizes LGBTQ+ expression and advocacy. In a televised ruling, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson spoke for a unanimous court and cited the constitutional separation of powers between the judiciary, president and legislature as the primary reason for dismissal. She provided that the bill [...]
The US Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to hear TikTok’s challenge against a federal law that could force the shutdown of its platform next month. TikTok filed an emergency petition Monday challenging the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Signed into law in April as part of a broader appropriations package, the act prohibits [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) raised serious concerns Wednesday regarding Guatemalan Attorney General María Consuelo Porras, who is accused of conducting politically motivated prosecutions against members of President Bernardo Arévalo’s administration. According to HRW, Porras has initiated at least 17 investigations against high-ranking officials, often based on dubious evidence. Since Arévalo took office in January, these [...]
Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia were awarded the EU’s prestigious Sakharov Prize on Tuesday in recognition of their unwavering fight for democracy and human rights in the South American country. The prize, regarded as the EU’s highest tribute to defenders of freedom, was presented during a ceremony at the European [...]
Serbian authorities installed spyware on the phones of dozens of journalists and activists, Amnesty International said in a report on Monday. In the document entitled “A Digital Prison: Surveillance and the suppression of civil society in Serbia,” the human rights organization cited digital forensic evidence and testimonies from activists who said they were hacked in recent [...]
The US Department of Defense (DOD) announced on Wednesday the transfer of Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. According to DOD detainee profiles, bin Amin and bin Lep arrived in Guantanamo Bay in September 2006. The US accused both individuals of planning attacks in California and [...]
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its annual reports on human rights violations by the United States and the United Kingdom on Tuesday. Iran’s Parliament authorized the creation of the annual reports in 2012. The report on the US said the country has “continued to violate human rights on an international level,” using human rights [...]
