Human Rights

Norway wealth fund to back call for Microsoft human rights report at AGM

The world's largest sovereign wealth fund owned a 1.35% stake worth $50 billion in Microsoft as of June 30, according to fund data, its second-largest equity holding overall, after Nvidia

Australian inmate fights Vegemite ban, says denial violates his culture

A Victorian prisoner has taken the state to court over a long-standing Vegemite ban, arguing that stopping inmates from having the spread violates his cultural rights

Human rights office urges Colombia to suspend airstrikes after child deaths

Colombia's human rights ombudswoman called on President Gustavo Petro Monday to suspend airstrikes against rebel groups in the South American country, after revealing that at least five teenagers had been killed in strikes conducted by Colombia's military in October and November. In a video published Monday, human rights ombudswoman Iris Marn said that at least one teenager, a female, was killed in a strike against the FARC-EMC rebel group in Arauca province last week, while four teenagers who had been forcibly recruited by the group were killed in another strike in the first week of October. On Saturday, Marn had revealed that seven minors were killed in another strike against the FARC-EMC in the southern province of Guaviare, where the government has launched an offensive against Nestor Gregorio Vera, a powerful rebel leader known also as Ivn Mordisco. That means that at least 12 minors have been killed this year in airstrikes conducted by Colombia's government. Military prosecut

India slams Pakistan at UNHRC, calls rights allegations hypocritical

India slammed Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council, saying a country with one of the world's worst human rights records should confront the rampant State-sponsored persecution and systemic discrimination of religious minorities in its own society. We find it deeply ironic that a country with one of the world's worst human rights records seeks to lecture others, Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, K S Mohammed Hussain said while speaking during a General Debate at the 60th Session of Human Rights Council at Geneva. Their attempts to misuse this august forum with fabricated allegations against India only expose their hypocrisy. Instead of making baseless propaganda, they should confront the rampant State-sponsored persecution and systemic discrimination (of religious and ethnic minorities) that plague their own society, Hussain said Tuesday without mentioning any country. But it was a clear reference to Pakistan, whose representative, speaking before India, raked

SC to give order on Sept 26 over lack of working CCTVs in police stations

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would pass order on September 26 in a suo motu matter concerning lack of functional CCTVs in police stations. "The issue is of oversight," a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed while hearing the matter. On September 4, the apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report which stated there were 11 deaths in police custody in Rajasthan in the past eight months. It had noted that as per the report, seven of these incidents happened in Udaipur division itself. The apex court had in 2018 ordered installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to check human rights abuses. In December 2020, the top court had directed the Centre to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment at the offices of investigating agencies, including the CBI, the ED and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). It had said that states and Union Territories should ensure that CCTV cameras were installed at each and every police station, at all e

To Lose a War: How the US slowly lost its way in Afghanistan conflict

A gripping account of two decades in Afghanistan, tracing the Taliban's fall, America's missteps, and the enduring human cost in Jon Lee Anderson's To Lose a War

Trump admin calls out human rights records of countries accepting deportees

The Trump administration on Tuesday released human rights reports for countries worldwide, which eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people, reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights and criticise restrictions on political speech by US allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians. The reports, which cover 2024 before President Donald Trump took office, reflect his administration's focus on free speech and protecting the lives of the unborn. However, the reports also offer a glimpse into the administration's view of dire human rights conditions in some countries that have agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States under Trump's immigration crackdown. This year's reports were streamlined for better utility and accessibility in the field and by partners, the State Department said. The congressionally mandated reports in the past have been frequently used for reference and cited by lawmakers, policymakers, academic ..

Hong Kong's new prison rules to restrict visits, including those by lawyers

Hong Kong tightened prison rules, allowing authorities to restrict visits, including those by certain lawyers and religious personnel, on national security grounds, in the latest expansion of its stringent control. Under the new rules, effective Friday, magistrates can issue warrants on application by correctional service officers to bar exchanges between specific legal representatives and persons in custody if the judges believe such connections could harm national security or cause bodily harm to any person, among other reasons. The department can also restrict certain visits, including those made by specific chaplains, for purposes such as maintaining national security, preventing crime and facilitating inmate rehabilitation. Critics worry the changes could undermine inmate rights in a city where many democracy advocates were arrested for their political activism following massive anti-government protests in 2019. The city now has two national security laws that Beijing deemed ..

Europe court set to rule on cases against Russia over Ukraine conflict

Europe's top human rights court is set to rule Wednesday on Russia's actions in the conflict in Ukraine, including human rights violations during the full-scale invasion and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will rule on four cases, brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, marking the first time an international court will adjudicate Russian culpability for the wider conflict in Ukraine dating from 2014. Any decision will be largely symbolic. The complaints were brought before the court's governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion. Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. It's a real step in understanding who was really responsible, Thomas Schansman, who lost his 18-year-old son Quinn in the tragedy, told The Associated Press. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was sh

Global Human Rights Groups slam China's ongoing crackdown on lawyers at UN

Crackdown started on July 9, 2015, when more than 300 lawyers and legal advocates were targeted by police, marking largest organised suppression of legal professionals in the China's's recent history

Violation of human rights: NHRC takes cognizance of Ashoka professor arrest

Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested earlier this week for his social media post over India's 'Operation Sindoor'

HRW urges new Pope to review 2018 China deal to protect religious freedom

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, said the new Pope should push for fresh negotiations with Beijing to protect the religious freedom of Catholics in China

Prisons at double their capacity as amnesty law takes effect: Iraq minister

As a general amnesty law takes effect in Iraq, the country's prisons are facing a crisis of overcrowding, housing more than double their intended capacity, the country's justice minister said in an interview. Justice Minister Khaled Shwani told The Associated Press on Saturday that Iraq's 31 prisons currently hold approximately 65,000 inmates, despite the system being built to accommodate only half that number. He acknowledged that the overcrowding has put a severe strain on prison healthcare and human rights standards. When we took office, overcrowding stood at 300%," he said. "After two years of reform, we've reduced it to 200%. Our goal is to bring that down to 100% by next year in line with international standards. Thousands more detainees remain in the custody of security agencies but have not yet been transferred to the Ministry of Justice due to lack of prison capacity. Four new prisons are under construction, Shwani said, while three have been closed in recent years. Two ..

Hungary set to ban LGBTQ+ pride, raise fears of broader rights rollback

Hungarian lawmakers are preparing to vote on a constitutional amendment viewed by many critics as both a crackdown on the freedoms of assembly and expression and the most recent move by the populist government to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ communities. The amendment, which will almost certainly be passed on Monday by the two-thirds majority of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist Fidesz party, would permanently codify a ban on public events held by LGBTQ+ communities including the popular Pride event that draws thousands annually in the capital, Budapest. It will also provide a constitutional basis for denying the gender identities or sexual characteristics of minority groups, and allow for some Hungarians to have their citizenship suspended if they are deemed to pose a threat to Hungary's security or sovereignty. Here's what the amendment will do, what it entails for LGBTQ+ Hungarians, and for some of the basic rights of all citizens in the Central European nation. A ban

NHRC issues notices to states, UTs; seeks reports on prisoner's issue

Taking suo motu cognisance of difficulties being faced by prisoners including women inmates in various jails across the country, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to chief secretaries of all the states and Union Territories, seeking reports within four weeks. These problems include overcrowding, lack of basic amenities and healthcare facilities in jails, the NHRC said in a statement. "The issues have been brought to its notice by its Special Monitors and Rapporteurs, through their reports after visiting various jails across the country, as well as the complaints," it said. The Commission said it has issued notices to the chief secretaries of all the states and Union Territories (UTs) seeking a report from them in four weeks, which should include various details. These include the number of women prisoners lodged in jails in a state, the number of women prisoners whose babies are lodged in jails on account of the mothers being incarcerated, the number of

Human rights defenders praise India's progress at UN event in Geneva

Organised by the ECO FAWN Society, the event also countered misleading narratives about India often propagated by certain foreign NGOs

ICE violated rights of US citizen, 21 others during arrests: Activists

Federal immigration agents violated the rights of 22 people, including a US citizen, in immigration enforcement arrests during the first weeks of President Donald Trump's second term, Chicago activists and attorneys alleged Monday. The arrests allegedly violate a 2022 agreement between Chicago groups and the federal government detailing how US Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers can make collateral arrests, where agents detain others besides those being targeted. The agreement, following a lawsuit over 2018 immigration sweeps, covers Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Wisconsin, which are under the ICE office in Chicago. Every time you hear from this administration about how they're rounding up gang members, terrorists, the worst of the worst, you need to take a dose of reality," said Mark Fleming, an attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, said at a news conference. "You need to dig deeper to understand who exactly they are arresting. The NIJC

Bangladesh experienced 'paroxysm of violence' last year: UN rights chief

The anti-government protests, led by students, ended Hasina's over 15-year-old rule in August last year. Hasina fled to India following her ouster

UN rights chief concerned over 'fundamental shift' in US under Trump

Turk's speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva are his strongest remarks so far on the impact of the new US administration's policies

India will always advocate 'zero tolerance' for terrorism: Jaishankar

There is a clear and urgent need for a new multilateral system that reflects contemporary global realities as past few years "exposed" the "stark inadequacies" of the existing structures, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. In a virtual address at the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, he also asserted that India will always advocate "zero tolerance" for terrorism and call out any effort to normalise it. Delving into geo-political turmoils in various geographies, Jaishankar said the world continues to grapple with conflicts and it is growing more fractured, uncertain, and unstable in the face of emerging challenges. "There is a clear and urgent need for a multilateral system that reflects contemporary global realities, one that is better equipped to respond to modern challenges, and, in essence, one that is fit for purpose," he said. "The past few years have exposed the stark inadequacies of existing multilateral structures. When the world needed th