UN experts on Friday welcomed the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on March 1 after more than four decades of armed conflict with Türkiye, calling it a “significant step” toward peace and reconciliation in the region. The experts, including members of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and [...]

Amnesty International called Friday for the immediate and unconditional release of Tanzanian opposition party chairman Tundu Lissu, who they say was arbitrarily arrested. Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, implored Tanzania to “focus on upholding fundamental human rights in the country, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday condemned the inaction of both the international community and the warring parties, as the conflict on civilians in Sudan continues into its third year. Türk stated, “Two years of this brutal and senseless conflict must be a wake-up call to the parties to lay down [...]

The North Carolina Supreme Court issued an order on Friday that has the potential to hand a win to Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin, who received fewer votes. In a 4-2 decision, the ruling partially upholds and partially reverses an April 4 order entered by the state’s Court of Appeals. In the November 2024 election for [...]

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern on Friday over the compatibility of recent Israeli evacuation orders with international humanitarian law, citing fears over the permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. According to the statement, while Israel “can lawfully order the temporary evacuations of civilians in certain areas [...]

The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) welcomed on Friday the decision of the court to award victims €52.4 million in reparations for the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by an African rebel group in Uganda. According to the fund, the decision is final as it has been [...]

The US Department of Education (DOE) announced Friday its plan to terminate the Maine Department of Education’s (MDOE) federal K-12 education funding for its noncompliance with US President Trump’s executive orders attacking “gender ideology” and gender-affirming educational practices. The DOE concluded that MDOE has endorsed or allowed school policies allowing males to compete in female [...]

Amnesty International criticized the US’s decision to cut foreign aid funding to Yemen on Thursday, highlighting the impact the funding cuts have had on the country’s human rights crisis. As the group reports, aid workers suggested that the aid cuts have exacerbated the country’s human rights situation, and “led to the shut-down of lifesaving assistance [...]

A US immigration judge decided Friday that detained Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported after the Trump administration revoked his permanent resident status over his participation in pro-Palestine demonstrations on his campus. However, proceedings petitioning for Khalil’s release in federal court are ongoing. Southern Poverty Law Center lawyer Sabrine Mohammed read a [...]

Amnesty International on Friday called for the urgent release of political activist Tofig Yagublu following his hunger strike that began on April 1. Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director Marie Struthers stated: “The Azerbaijani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tofig Yagublu, who has been imprisoned solely for his outspoken criticism of government, [...]