Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday called for the South Korean government to pass legislation that would promote human rights in North Korea. A divisive bill proposed in 2005 provides for the creation of a North Korean Human Rights Foundation (NKHRF) and a system to document and archive information about rights abuses by the North [...]
UN human rights expert Alfred de Zayas on Tuesday urged governments in the Pacific Rim not to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without first “reaffirming … human rights treaty obligations and their recent pledges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.” Urging a “new generation of trade agreements … incorporate human rights and developments,” Zayas proceeded [...]
The International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh (ICTB) on Tuesday sentenced two men to death for crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. Obaidul Haque Taher and Ataur Rahman Noni were found guilty of three counts of “of participating, aiding and contributing to the commission of offences of murder, abduction and torture as [...]
The UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT) stated Tuesday that migrant detention facilities in Cyprus need better monitoring and should improve conditions. The SPT urged that individuals be promptly informed as to why they are being held if they are detained so as to prevent riots or protests. SPT Chair Malcolm Evans said: [...]
Experts from the UN and the Inter-American human rights systems urged Canada Monday to address the “root causes” of the extreme violence and discrimination against indigenous women and girls in the country at a meeting with Canadian Ministers for Justice, Indigenous and Northern Affairs, and for the Status of Women. According to the experts, approximately [...]
Four former Blackwater security contractors on Monday appealed their conviction for a 2007 Baghdad shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians. This appeal centers around a witness for the prosecution who changed his testimony after the trial in a way that allegedly undermines the government’s case. The four men were found guilty of various murder charges [...]
The US Supreme Court refused Monday to delay the implementation of a new redistricting plan in Virginia for the upcoming election to the US House of Representatives. The case, Wittman v. Personhuballah , involves the 3rd congressional district, which is the only congressional district in the state that has a majority African American population. The [...]
The High Court of Delhi ruled Monday that women may legally serve as the head of a family, a role traditionally held by the eldest man. In traditional Hindu culture the eldest man serves as the “Karta,” or manager of the family. Legally, the Karta is responsible for a family’s rituals, real property and assets. [...]
The Supreme Court of India agreed Tuesday to review its 2013 decision reinstating an 1861 law prohibiting sex between consenting adults of the same sex. The law, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, was passed during the British colonial era and calls for a 10-year sentence for “carnal intercourse against the order of nature [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday urged Tunisia to reform its drug sentencing laws. According to the report, 28 percent of Tunisia’s prison population are individuals who were convicted of drug crimes related to recreational use of controlled substances. The sentencing issue arises from the 1992 implementation Law No. 92-52 on narcotics, which includes a [...]
