Egypt: Reject Draft Criminal Procedure Code

(Geneva) – The Egyptian parliament must reject a proposed draft law that would replace the 1950 Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), Amnesty International, Dignity, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists said today. If enacted, the draft legislation would undermine Egypt’s already weakened fair trial rights protections and further empower abusive law enforcement officials. “Instead of seizing the […]

Continue Reading

Sri Lanka: UN Rights Council Should Extend Crucial Mandate

(Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should adopt a resolution on Sri Lanka to enable continued UN monitoring, reporting, and evidence collection of rights violations for future prosecutions, Human Rights Watch said today. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who was elected on September 21, 2024, should reverse the policies of his predecessors by cooperating with the UN’s investigation […]

Continue Reading

Northeast Syria: Military Recruitment of Children Persists

(Beirut) – A Kurdish youth group in northeast Syria with links to the de facto authorities is recruiting children apparently for eventual transfer to armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. Child recruitment robs children of their childhood, exposes them to extreme violence, and can cause lasting physical and psychological trauma.  The Revolutionary Youth Movement of […]

Continue Reading

Mexico’s Presidential Inauguration – United States Department of State

The United States congratulates Claudia Sheinbaum on her inauguration.  We also congratulate the people of Mexico for making their voices heard through the democratic process and for this historic day.  We deeply value our strong relationship with Mexico, which is based on shared democratic values, deep economic ties, and strong cultural and familial bonds. We […]

Continue Reading

EU Integrated Resolve 2024 Exercise: enhancing EU crisis preparedness

The European Union is carrying out the 2024 edition of its crisis management exercise – EU Integrated Resolve (IR24) from 30 September to 25 October 2024. EU IR24 will test the EU’s preparedness and ability to respond to complex crises of a hybrid nature with internal and external dimensions. The scenario will simulate a multilayered […]

Continue Reading

EU mobilises assistance for wildfires in Greece

With multiple wildfires breaking out in Greece, and most notably in Northern Peloponnese region, the EU is sending planes to help fight the rapidly spreading flames.  Following Greece’s activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism yesterday afternoon, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre has immediately mobilised three firefighting aircraft from the rescEU emergency reserves. The […]

Continue Reading

Ukraine: Top UN aid official condemns deadly marketplace strike in Kherson

“Yet again, another unfathomable attack of the Russian Armed Forces killed and injured civilians, this time at the start of their day at a busy marketplace in Kherson City, south of Ukraine,” Matthias Schmale said in a statement. At least five people were killed, and others injured, according to media reports. Mr. Schmale said the […]

Continue Reading

Safeguarding Voters and Election Officials in the 2024 US Elections

The United States will hold federal elections on November 5. But as people prepare to head to the polls, both voters and election administrators face threats and intimidation from those trying to subvert the democratic process. US election officials should be able to do their jobs in safety. Nevertheless, election administrators in Colorado and Arizona […]

Continue Reading

The EU facilitates a new medical evacuation operation, the first directly from Gaza

Yesterday, the EU coordinated the first medical evacuation operation directly from Gaza, transferring 8 patients in need of urgent care and 24 accompanying family members to Romania. This is the 5th operation under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, following the activation of the Mechanism by the World Health Organization (WHO) to medically evacuate Palestinian patients […]

Continue Reading

Lebanon crisis: UN launches $426 million aid appeal as ‘limited’ ground invasion reportedly begins

From the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, spokesperson Jens Laerke described chaotic scenes across Lebanon as people continued to flee airstrikes that have killed  more than 1,000 people in the past two weeks alone, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR.  “We should expect further displacement,” Mr. Laerke told journalists in Geneva. “We do […]

Continue Reading