Djibouti shipwreck: Death toll rises to 139 as 84 remain missing

The toll rose from 109 after the bodies of 30 more people were recovered. Search and rescue efforts are continuing. The boat was carrying 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen when it went down near Guehere, north of Obock, in the early hours of Friday. About 82 people survived. IOM described it as one of […]

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UN: Burundi Set to Win Human Rights Council Seat Despite Abuses

(New York) – Burundi is set to win re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council in a vote on October 12, 2026, with no competition, Human Rights Watch said today. Burundi is seeking to retain its seat even though the government of this Central African country has not improved its abusive human rights conditions. […]

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Gaza: Ceasefire Anniversary Marks Year of Failed Promises

(Beirut) – Israeli forces continue to kill and wound civilians and deny sufficient food, aid, and water to Palestinians in Gaza one year after a ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. Israel’s acts of genocide and crimes against humanity, including forced displacement and extermination, have persisted throughout the ceasefire. Other […]

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US Sanctions on ICC Put Global Justice at Risk

(New York) – The Trump administration’s decision to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an unprecedented assault on global justice and the rule of law, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 9, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the imposition of sanctions on the ICC.  “The Trump administration has made clear its aim to destroy […]

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Former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay awarded Nobel Peace Prize

The South African jurist was honoured “for her efforts to promote peace and international law”, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement.  The committee said the award was going “to a person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order,” noting that she “has been […]

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Commissioners Síkela and Lahbib visit Dublin to discuss international development and the importance of EU solidarity

Today and tomorrow, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela and Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib will be in Dublin, Ireland, to participate in the informal ministerial Council on Development under the Irish Presidency of the EU that will be dedicated to discuss the future of development. They will also meet with representatives of partner […]

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UN rights chief: Legacy of slavery and colonialism is still fuelling racism

Over 30 million people were violently uprooted from Africa and condemned to a life of slavery. Yet no country involved in enslavement or colonialism has fully confronted this past. Speaking at a high-level dialogue on reparatory Justice in Geneva, Mr. Türk said the transatlantic trade was an organised system of domination that treated tens of […]

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‘Age must never diminish rights,’ UN independent expert warns

Key points An estimated 664 million women were aged 60 or older in 2025, a number projected to reach 1.13 billion by 2050 A new report examines violence against older women as a distinct and intersectional issue rooted in discrimination, ageism and inequality ‘Invisible’ violence Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on the causes and consequences of […]

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Niger’s Junta Tightens Its Grip on Free Expression

A lawyer in Niger faces prosecution over comments about the army on social media while a prominent journalist and critic of the country’s military junta is being held in secret, with authorities refusing to identify his alleged offense. These cases together highlight a broadening crackdown in Niger, where the space for free expression is shrinking […]

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Airstrike Damages Hospital in Central Ukraine

A Russian airstrike damaged a hospital in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on October 6, according to reports from local officials and media outlets. The attack injured several people, including at least two hospital workers, and also damaged residential and administrative buildings and an art school in the city center.   The strike is the latest in […]

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