Benin Cyberactivist Denies Criticism of Government Amid Ongoing Legal Battle

Beninese cyberactivist Steve Amoussou, currently imprisoned since August 2024, has denied allegations that he ran an anonymous online account critical of the government. Amoussou, accused of spreading false news and inciting rebellion, was detained after allegedly being “kidnapped” from neighbouring Togo, according to his legal team. His trial before the Court for the Repression of […]

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New US Labor Secretary, Congress Should Act on Child Labor

President Trump’s pick to lead the United States Department of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, will soon oversee the federal government’s response to labor rights issues across the US. One of her key priorities should be taking action to end hazardous child labor. In recent years, investigative reports from around the US showed children working harrowing overnight […]

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Women, girls bear brunt of cyberbullying against persons with disabilities

Recalling the mantra “nothing about us, without us”, which was coined by the disability rights movement, UN rights chief Volker Türk insisted that the international community was failing to uphold a fundamental tenet of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with regard to people with disabilities, namely that all people are born equal. “In all regions, […]

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SOS Mediterranee Migrant Rescue NGO Saves 25 Migrants Off Libyan Coast

On Sunday, SOS Mediterranee, a French migrant rescue NGO, successfully brought 25 people aboard its Ocean Viking vessel after spotting a distressed boat off the Libyan coast. Among the rescued individuals were three women and seven minors, including five unaccompanied children, with two of them under four years old. The survivors are currently receiving care […]

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Indonesians Freed from Forced Labor in Myanmar Still Await Repatriation from Thailand

Dozens of Indonesians remain stranded in Thailand, waiting to be repatriated after escaping forced labor in Myanmar, where they were coerced into working for online scamming operations. These individuals were lured to Myanmar under false pretenses, promising legitimate work opportunities, only to find themselves trapped in exploitative conditions. The online scams, which generate billions of […]

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Syria: Up to one million people plan to return home in desperation

According to UN refugee agency, UNHCR, 600,000 people could be on the move in the next six months, according to its latest survey. UNHCR spokesperson Celine Schmitt said on Friday that people will need “housing, jobs, schools, hospitals, electricity and clean water” – all of which are lacking after 14 years of civil conflict. She […]

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Press Emblem Campaign Welcomes Release of Journalists in India and Malaysia

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights organization, has expressed relief following the release of two journalists—Kashmiri reporter Majid Hyderi and Malaysian journalist B Nantha Kumar—who were both detained under controversial circumstances. Hyderi, an independent journalist and political analyst, was freed after over 525 days of detention under the Public Safety […]

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Iraq: Personal Status Law Amendment Sets Back Women’s Rights

(Beirut) – After months of legal and political wrangling, an amendment to Iraq’s Personal Status Law that entered into force on February 17, 2025, violates women’s and girls’ rights to equality before the law and puts them at risk of other abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. Persistent pressure and advocacy by women’s rights groups partly reduced the […]

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Ukraine reels from one of the deadliest days of war

“With 21 civilians reported killed, 7 March was one of the deadliest days for civilians in Ukraine so far this year,” UN mission chief Danielle Bell said Russian’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 has killed thousands and left millions displaced by the ongoing war. The UN monitoring mission said all the civilian deaths and 79 […]

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DR Congo crisis leaves mothers with newborns fleeing to Burundi

“Over 63,000 people now have crossed into the country, Burundi, fleeing atrocities, deadly conflict in parts of eastern DR Congo,” said Faith Kasina, UNHCR Regional Spokesperson for East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes. Amid the largest influx of refugees Burundi has seen in decades because of the hostilities in eastern DRC’s mineral-rich region, […]

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