India to enforce migration law that excludes Muslims

The Indian government has enacted a controversial citizenship law that has been described as discriminatory towards Muslims by critics. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), proposed by the Modi government, explicitly makes religion the basis for acquiring Indian citizenship. Under the CAA, Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before December 2014 can fast track to Indian nationality. Muslims are excluded from the same rights. The law was originally passed in 2019, however, its implementation was delayed after...

60 migrants die in the Mediterranean Sea

Source: Flickr, July 29, 2016 While attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, about 60 migrants have died after the engine of their small dinghy broke down. On Wednesday, the dinghy was spotted by a ship belonging to the humanitarian organization, SOS Mediterranee. The humanitarian group was able to rescue 25 survivors who were showing signs of dehydration. The survivors told their rescuers they departed from Zawiya on the Libyan coast several days earlier. They had been adrift for four days without food or water. According to the survivors, the victims are believed to have died from...

Iran committed crimes against humanity during Woman, Life, Freedom protests - UN

A UN fact-finding mission (FFM) has concluded that the Iranian regime’s human rights violations during its brutal suppression of protests in 2022 amount to crimes against humanity. In November 2022, the UN Human Rights Council established an FFM two months after the Woman, Life, Freedom protests that swept the country. The protests were in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody. The FFM report states that the regime carried out widespread and sustained human rights violations specifically targetting women and girls which amount to international...

US announces sanctions against Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa

On 4 March the United States sanctioned eleven Zimbabwean officials including President Emmerson Mnangagwa for their connection to corruption or serious human rights abuses. After a review of the Zimbabwe sanction programme that had been in effect since 2003, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions – targeting three companies and 11 people, including the Mnangagwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and retired Brigadier-General Walter Tapfumaneyi. In a press release, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said "the United States remains deeply...

Five SAS soldiers arrested in UK on suspicion of alleged war crimes in Syria

Five members of the SAS have been arrested by British military police on suspicion of allegedly committing war crimes while on operations in Syria. The case against the five revolves around the alleged murder of a suspected jihadist in Syria who was killed on operations two years ago. Case files recommending prosecution of murder charges have been sent by service police to the Service Prosecuting Authority, the military equivalent of the CPS. It is alleged the five used excessive force in the incident, although the soldiers involved are understood to deny this, arguing they believed the dead...

US military to drop aid into Gaza - Biden

On Friday, President Biden announced plans to carryout a US military airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza. The announcement comes just a day after Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians lining up for desperately needed food assistance. The massacre left more than 750 wounded and killed at least 112 Palestinans. Biden has stated that the military airdrop will take place in the coming days. He added that the United States is also currently exploring additional ways of getting aid to Palestinians. White House spokesperson, John Kirby, emphasized that this would be an ongoing...

Indonesia activists condem four-star general rank for presumed president

Human rights experts have condemned a decision by Indonesia’s outgoing president to award the rank of honorary four-star general to his presumed successor, Prabowo Subianto, a controversial figure accused of human rights violations. Prabowo, 72, a former son-in-law of the dictator Suharto and a special commander under his regime was dismissed from the military over allegations he was involved in kidnapping and torturing pro-democracy activists in 1998. Prabowo, who has since softened his image by presenting himself as a harmless grandpa , is presumed to have won this month’s presidential...

Nicaragua files case at ICJ against Germany for aiding Israel

Nicaragua has filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Germany for providing Israel financial and military aid, and for suspending funding for the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA). The case brought on by Nicaragua builds on South Africa's ICJ case against Israel. In it Nicaragua states that Germany is violating the 1948 Genocide convention and the 1949 Geneva convention on the laws of war in the occupied Palestinian territories. Nicaragua has asked the ICJ to issue emergency measures that would require Germany to stop its military aid to Israel. Typically, the...

US airman dies after setting himself on fire outside of Israeli Embassy

A member of the US Air Force has died after setting himself on fire outside of the Israeli Embassy in Washington in protest against Israel’s war on Gaza. The 25-year-old US airman, Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries on Monday according to the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC. Before setting himself on fire, Mr. Bushnell reportedly livestreamed himself on the streaming site, Twitch, declaring that he would “not be complicit in genocide.” After setting himself on fire, Mr. Bushnell repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine.” The Air Force stated that it would...

Abuses committed in Sudan war including attacks on fleeing civilians - UN report

The UN Human Rights Office has stated that warring sides in Sudan have committed abuses that could amount to war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks on civilian sites such as hospitals, markets, and refugee camps. The 10-month conflict has killed thousands and displaced approximately 8 million people. In the report, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, "Some of these violations would amount to war crimes." He emphasizes that "The guns must be silenced, and civilians must be protected." The UN report investigates incidents throughout December. In addition to the...

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