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United Nations independent experts on Monday called on Russia to end long-standing trafficking and forced labor of migrant women, predominantly from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, in the Golyanovo district of Moscow. Expressing concern over the “credible and well-documented allegations” of trafficking and forced labor, the special rapporteurs stated: “We urge Russian authorities to take immediate and [...]

The Israeli military on Sunday intercepted a civilian vessel, detaining 21 international activists and journalists who were aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. In a statement, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international grassroots network of human rights and civil society organizations, declared that its vessel Handala was “violently intercepted” by the Israeli military, [...]

Four years after their arrest for peacefully advocating for political reform, two members of the Eswatini Parliament, Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, have been declared “prisoners of conscience” by Amnesty International. Friday’s designation highlights mounting concern over the country’s intensifying repression of dissent and misuse of the justice system. The two MPs were arrested on [...]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday announced that the UK will airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children for more specialized medical aid. In a public statement, Starmer claimed that the UK is “working urgently” with the Jordanian authorities to get aid into planes and delivered to Gaza. The British leader condemned the mass [...]

On Friday, a US federal judge in New York issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the government from mass-cancelling of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants, finding that President Donald Trump’s administration likely violated the First Amendment by rescinding NEH grants based on viewpoint discrimination. The lawsuit, brought by the Authors Guild and several affected [...]

The French Cour de Cassation, on Friday, annulled an arrest warrant against the former president of Syria, Bashar Al-Assad, holding that sitting foreign leaders are immune from prosecution. On the question of whether an exception would exist in the event of crimes against humanity and war crimes, the court rejected both the argument that an [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged a rights-based approach in a letter on Friday to the newly appointed African Union (AU) Special Envoy for the Sahel, Burundi President H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye.  HRW welcomed President Ndayishimiye’s appointment as Sahel envoy, and emphasized several regional and country-specific human rights concerns, stating that human rights, civilian protection, accountability and the [...]

US President Donald Trump’s administration released on Friday the previously frozen over $6 billion in funding to schools nationwide, which supports English language learning, after-school care for working parents, adult literacy, and other programs. The School Superintendents Association (AASA) welcomed the news, expressing gratitude that the funds would be distributed to schools. According to a [...]

UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Balakrishan Rajagopal called on Friday for Guatemala to immediately suspend its “violent and inhumane” evictions, citing concerns that they violate international law. Specifically, the UN expert is concerned that during the forced evictions, houses are burned down, as well as the “food crops and private possessions [...]

The Epping Forest District Council in England’s Essex County unanimously passed a motion on Thursday urging the UK government to immediately and permanently close the Bell Hotel, which is currently being used to house asylum seekers. The council called upon local members of parliament (MPs) to support its initiative, and a public petition has been launched [...]