Category: Human Rights

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has reported that at least 80,000 people have fled the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to escalating violence, including widespread sexual assault. UNHCR official Patrick Eba highlighted the dire situation in North and South Kivu provinces, where armed clashes between Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have […]

UN Women’s latest report Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing, published ahead of the UN 50th International Women’s Day on 8 March, shows that in 2024, nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights. Despite decades of advocacy, economic instability, the climate crisis, rising conflicts and political pushback have contributed […]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has directed €17 million (approximately Shs65 billion) towards rehabilitating victims of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in Uganda. The programme, which began in 2008, has supported over 85,000 people in 18 districts across the Acholi, Lango, and Teso sub-regions. It addresses the physical, psychological, financial, and material needs […]

UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor has called for immediate international assistance to protect human rights defenders in the volatile eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In a statement on Wednesday, Lawlor highlighted the extreme risks faced by activists, who are increasingly targeted by armed groups such as the M23 rebels for documenting […]

Amnesty International’s latest report, published on Tuesday, sheds light on Russia’s systemic abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian detainees, categorizing the treatment as both war crimes and crimes against humanity. The findings are based on interviews with 104 individuals living in Ukraine between January and November 2024, revealing disturbing patterns of mistreatment […]

People who have escaped from North Korea since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic have described severe repression and restrictions on economic activity. North Korean escapees’ accounts illustrate the devastating impact of the government’s oppressive Covid-19 measures that further shrank people’s already limited freedoms. The UN Human Rights Council should renew the mandate of the UN special rapporteur […]

Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, alongside 4 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), hosted a commemorative event at the European Parliament on 18 February to reflect on the lessons learnt from the 2004 Asian tsunami and to discuss improvements in disaster preparedness and EU-ASEAN cooperation.  The event, which marked the 20th anniversary of one of the deadliest […]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that Bulgaria breached the European Convention on Human Rights by denying journalist Galina Mariova Girginova access to the acquittal judgment of a former Minister of Internal Affairs in a high-profile criminal case. The case revolves around the minister’s acquittal on charges of failing to supervise […]

The UN World Food Program (WFP) is closing its office in Johannesburg, South Africa, following significant cuts to US foreign aid under the Trump administration. This decision is part of a broader restructuring that merges the WFP’s southern and East Africa operations into a single regional office in Nairobi, Kenya. WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri confirmed […]

“Near the frontlines, sexual violence and human rights abuses remain rampant, as is the looting and destruction of civilian homes and businesses,” said Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection. Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Eba told journalists that that North and South Kivu provinces remain unstable, with “hundreds of thousands of people […]