Amnesty International (AI) on Monday urged Malaysian authorities to end their politically motivated criminalization of government critics. The country’s Sedition Act of 1948 , a law that limits freedom of speech and expression, has been used increasingly by the Malaysian government to persecute activists and opposition leaders. This year two people have been convicted of [...]
China is contemplating eliminating the death penalty as punishment for nine crimes, according to a report released Monday by Chinese state media outlet Xinhua. The proposed legislation was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) for a first reading Monday. According to the report, the nine crimes include: “smuggling weapons, ammunition, [...]
The Council of Europe (COE) called on Azerbaijan Friday to halt the arrest and detention of human rights activists in the country. COE Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks , in a speech given after a two-day visit to Azerbaijan, criticized the government’s actions, stating that “the targeting of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan must [...]
The Council of Europe said Monday that Russia must investigate the deaths and abductions of activists in Crimea and ensure that the rights of minorities and media are respected. A 16-page report by Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks documented cases of three missing civil society activists and the deaths of local residents since [...]
An Egyptian court on Monday ordered the detention of Alaa Abdel-Fattah , one of one of Egypt’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, at the start of his retrial for breaking a law on demonstrations. Abdel-Fattah was convicted in June for organizing an unauthorized demonstration and assaulting a police officer in November 2013. He was sentenced to [...]
Ukraine held a parliamentary election on Sunday which resulted in large support for pro-Western parties. President Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc party, which has been known to be a pro-European political party, received the most support . President Poroshenko stated in regards to the outcome, “I hope that we will have new Government, Parliament and pro-European coalition [...]
US Attorney General Eric Holder on Saturday announced that the federal government will recognize same sex marriage in six additional states. The addition of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming will now bring the total number of states recognizing same-sex marriage to 32. The decision by Holder comes after the US Supreme [...]
An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced 23 activists to three years in prison for protesting without a permit, an act that violates a law enacted in November 2013. The men were arrested in June while protesting the restrictive protest law that requires demonstrators to obtain permission from authorities one week in advance of gathering in [...]
Uruguay began voting on Sunday to elect a new president to succeed current leader Jose Mujica . Mujica’s leftist party, the Broad Front, is being represented by former President Tabare Vazquez . The opposing right wing party, the National Party, is being represented by Luis Lacalle Pou . Though Mujica remains popular at the close [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday criticized the lack of action taken by the Thai government to bring police and military personnel responsible for the deaths of protestors in Tak Bai in 2004 to justice. This failure, according to HRW Asian director Brad Adams , “is a glaring injustice that brings the police, military and [...]
