The Tokyo District Court ordered the dissolution of the Japanese branch of the Unification Church, colloquially known as “moonies,” following an inquest from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology into alleged violations of the Japanese Civil Code and Religious Corporations Act, according to local media. Presiding Judge Suzuki found that the methods [...]

The Saharawi Youth Union, advocating for the independence of Western Sahara, together with the International Service for Human Rights, urged the UN Human Rights Council on Monday to “take action” and uphold its obligations in ensuring the protection of Saharawi peoples’ human rights and access to human rights mechanisms. The Saharawi Youth Union (UJSARIO) addressed [...]

Thousands of protestors in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, blocked major roads and bridges along the Danube on Tuesday in disapproval of a law banning LGBTQ+ pride and restricting Hungarians’ right to assembly. The protest was organized by Ákos Hadházy, an MP for the Politics Can Be Different (LMP), a green-liberal party, calling for resistance against the [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) raised concerns on Tuesday regarding Syria’s newly ratified constitutional declaration, intended to regulate the nation’s traditional phase. This human rights organization warned that the new constitutional structure perilously concentrates authority in the executive branch, which could threaten the judiciary’s independence and undermine the democratic ideals that many Syrians have persistently championed. At [...]

A US federal judge on Tuesday granted a request for a temporary restraining order to stop efforts to deport a 21-year-old Columbia University student who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. US District Judge for the Southern District of New York Naomi Reice Buchwald signed the order, preventing Yunseo Chung from being arrested or [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday over a challenge to Louisiana’s recently redrawn voting map and its two Black-majority districts. Plaintiffs claimed that the map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The civil rights era statute aimed to end voter suppression practices in southern states and specifically prohibits “the denial [...]

Voice of America employees filed an emergency motion on Monday to obtain a temporary restraining order to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to implement sweeping cuts at the federally funded broadcaster. The plaintiffs allege in the motion that the layoffs violate the First Amendment by targeting Voice of America’s editorial independence and claim that the [...]

Thirteen EU governments demanded Tuesday that the Union welcome scientists and researchers from abroad, including the United States, who might suffer from momentary research interference. The letter warns that current political developments pose a threat to academic freedom, but also an opportunity for the EU to attract academic quality from abroad. The letter was endorsed [...]

Amnesty International on Tuesday criticized the unlawful expulsion of 238 Venezuelan nationals from the United States to El Salvador, saying the action endangers their lives. The expulsion contravenes a court order, which barred removal of the Venezuelans. In response to the deportation in defiance of the court’s decision, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, [...]

The Osaka High Court held that Japan’s lack of recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional on Tuesday. The Osaka High Court is the fifth court to rule that the ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional after similar rulings in the high courts of Sapporo, Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagoya. While Presiding Judge Kumiko Honda upheld the [...]