The ceasefire between the Syrian government and rebels seeking to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad survived its first week on Saturday, and the nation experienced a marked drop in violence. The five-year civil war has killed more than 250,000 Syrians and forced millions from their homes. In the last week, the overall violence is estimated to [...]
The US Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a Louisiana abortion law that would require abortion doctors to have admitting privileges in a nearby hospital and significant surgical upgrades to abortion centers. In a one-sentence order, the Court reinstated the stay initially put in place by the US District Court for the Middle District of [...]
The Alabama Supreme Court dismissed petitions Friday that sought a ruling declaring the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage valid despite the US Supreme Court’s June ruling declaring same-sex marriage legal. The petitions had been filed by the Alabama Citizens Action Program, Elmore County’s probate judge and the Alabama Policy Institute and sought a writ of [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned US authorities on Friday of the potentially widespread ramifications of forcing Apple to unlock the San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone. Zeid urged authorities to understand that a ruling against Apple in the US would set precedent worldwide and make it “impossible for Apple or any [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a report on Friday recommending increased measures to be taken for all countries involved in the rise of allegations against UN peacekeepers of sexual abuse and exploitation. The report documents a total of 99 allegations in 2015, 69 from countries with peacekeeping missions. The largest number of allegations, 22, came [...]
A group of UN human rights experts on Thursday called on the US to increase its efforts to address the issue of lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan. The UN experts acknowledged the gravity of the situation in Flint and throughout the world, stating that “ar more is needed to protect human rights from toxic threats.” [...]
Russian and Syrian armed forces are deliberately attacking hospitals and other medical facilities as part of a military strategy to clear the way to northern Aleppo, Amnesty International (AI) claimed in a report Thursday. AI says the pattern of airstrikes on medical centers appears to be consistent with a violation of international law. Under international [...]
Brazil’s Supreme Court unanimously agreed on Thursday that corruption charges against a member of Congress can move forward, possibly impacting impeachment efforts toward President Dilma Rousseff . Prosecutors believe that the leader of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, accepted USD $5 million dollars between 2006 and 2012 in connection to the Petrobras national [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday urged Thailand to stop harassing and charging human right lawyers for defending victims of the government’s abuses. HRW Asia director Brad Adams accused the government of acting as a police state enforcing “bogus prosecutions” and cited recent cases in which human rights lawyers were charged with defamation, making false [...]
Kazakhstan authorities are failing to properly investigate reports of torture, Amnesty International (AI) reported on Thursday. According to the group, there have been hundreds of reported instances of human rights violations in Kazakhstan with very few acted upon. John Dalhuisen, AI’s Director for Europe and Central Asia, said, “the failure to investigate torture and prosecute [...]
