A Tennessee county judge has upheld Tennessee’s same-sex marriage ban, marking the first time a court has found the Constitution does not protect same-sex marriage since the Supreme Court’s decision overturning of the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013. Roane County Circuit Judge Russell Simmons Jr., of Kingston, Tennessee upheld the State’s Anti-Recognition [...]

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Egyptian security forces killed more than 1,150 demonstrators in July and August 2013, Human RIghts Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday. The year-long investigation documented instances where Egyptian police and military forces used deadly force on crowds of demonstrators opposed to the ousting of President of Mohamed Morsy. The report calls on the UN Human Rights Council [...]

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The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, expressed concern Tuesday over the latest political developments, calling on the country’s political leaders to respect the president’s constitutional responsibilities. He also called on security forces to avoid any actions that may be perceived as interference in any matters related to the democratic transfer [...]

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The UN Human rights Council on Monday appointed three experts to an international commission of inquiry to investigate alleged international humanitarian and human rights law violations committed by both Israelis and Palestinians during the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip. The goal of the commission will be to establish the circumstances surrounding violations and crimes [...]

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The US military systematically covered up or disregarded “abundant and compelling evidence” of war crimes in Afghanistan, Amnesty International (AI) reported Monday. The report, entitled “Afghanistan: Left in the dark: Failures of accountability for civilian casualties caused by international military operations in Afghanistan,” examines the record of accountability for civilian deaths caused by international military [...]

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Ugandan Attorney General Peter Nyomb on Saturday filed an appeal against the recent constitutional court ruling that struck down the nation’s Anti-Homosexuality law . Last week Uganda’s Constitutional Court ruled that the Anti-Homosexuality law should be voided because it did not properly pass through Parliament. Gay rights supporters organized on Saturday to speak out against [...]

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