In her first report to the UN Human Rights Council, UN expert Ikponwosa Ero noted the increasing violence against people with albinism triggered by fallacious “witchcraft” beliefs. Those with albinism are reportedly being hunted, killed and dismembered with machetes for witchcraft rituals because people believe that they are inhuman ghosts. Some have even had their [...]
Rita Izsāk-Ndiaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, said Monday that at least 250 million people worldwide face “appalling and dehumanizing” discrimination based on caste and similar systems of “inherited” status. Presenting a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Izsāk-Ndiaye stated that the stigma from caste follows individuals throughout all aspects of life [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday held unanimously that a congressional 1882 Act of purchase did not diminish the size of the Omaha Indian Reservation. Nebraska v. Parker dealt with the town of Pender, Nebraska, and whether it sits inside the Omaha Indian Reservation, which would make it subject to the tribal liquor sale tax. [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz on Monday applauded the Brazilian government for its actions taken to recognize indigenous peoples’ rights but stressed that further measures needed to be taken. In particular she praised the demarcation framework and the pro-active role of the National Indian Foundation of Brazil (FUNAI) [...]
After a two-day reading of the verdict, the Donetsk municipal court in southern Russia on Tuesday sentenced a Ukrainian pilot to 22 years in prison for complicity to murder two Russian journalists and illegal border crossing. Nadezhda Savchenko has been charged with complicity in the killing of two journalists , with prosecutors accusing her of [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday requested a postponement of a hearing scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether Apple must comply with an order to unlock the San Bernadino shooter’s iPhone. The DOJ stated that they may have another method to unlock the shooter’s phone and therefore would not need Apple to comply [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Heiner Bielefeld called Tuesday on Denmark to be more inclusive to all of its citizens . The Special Rapporteur stated, “the Government has to play a leading role in further developing a fair and inclusive Danish society, in which members of religious communities, as well [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases on Monday. In Wittman v. Personhuballah the court heard arguments regarding an election district plan for Virginia’s Third Congressional District. This district was altered in 2012 in a manner that increased the already majority-African American population, and the district court found the plan unconstitutional under [...]
The length of time a person is forcibly disappeared is irrelevant when considering the criminality of the act, UN rights experts concluded Monday. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) examined the case of Argentinian prisoner Roberto Yrusta, who had been disappeared for seven days and nights after a prison transfer, before being found dead [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday declared unanimously that ex-Congolese military leader Jean-Pierre Bemba is guilty of two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes for his role in the armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 and 2003. The case of The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba [...]
