Category: Human Rights

📍 Paris, France — Nearly ten months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, French judicial authorities have intensified efforts to hold senior Syrian officials accountable for war crimes. On September 2, French judges issued seven arrest warrants targeting former high-ranking members of the Assad government, including the ex-president himself, in connection with the 2012 […]

In a message released ahead of the Day, Mr. Guterres honoured the “extraordinary” contributions of people of African descent across every sphere of human endeavour. The Secretary-General also recognised the “long shadows” of slavery and colonialism, which include systemic racism, unequal economies and societies, and the digital divide (between those who are able to benefit […]

That’s the message from Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, speaking on Tuesday after concluding a five-day visit to Lebanon and Syria. “The international community cannot afford to be mere observers, assessing and judging the developments in Syria,” she said. “They must take an active role supporting stabilization and recovery […]

📍 Copenhagen, Denmark — The European Union has formally requested that the United States reconsider its decision to deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month. Speaking after a meeting of […]

📍 Brasília, Brazil — The United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, has called on Brazil to take urgent action to combat persistent forms of modern slavery across the country. Concluding a two-week official visit, Obokata highlighted ongoing exploitation affecting children, domestic workers, Indigenous and Quilombola communities, sex workers, migrants, refugees, […]

📍 Washington, D.C. — A U.S. federal judge has issued an emergency order temporarily blocking the deportation of over 600 unaccompanied minors to Guatemala, following a late-night legal challenge by immigration advocates. The ruling, delivered at 4 a.m. by District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, came amid reports that at least 10 children were already aboard planes […]

As the Chinese government celebrated the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II and the country’s military might this week, criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record is building.  For 50 minutes on August 29, large slogans projected on a building in Chongqing, one of China’s major cities, urged the Chinese people to […]

Following the strong earthquake that hit north-eastern Afghanistan, the EU has approved €1 million in humanitarian emergency funding to address the most urgent needs of the affected population. This money will go to humanitarian partners that are already carrying out relief operations on the ground. In addition, the EU will donate around 130 tonnes of […]

The magnitude six quake has already left more than 800 dead and at least 2,000 injured, but the total impact could be in the “hundreds of thousands”, according to the UN’s top aid official in the country, Indrika Ratwatte. Speaking from Kabul, Mr. Ratwatte said that mud and wooden roof structures were predominant in the […]