Results for: Human Rights

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian were killed Sunday when a helicopter crashed in the Dizmar forest in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Members of the delegation who died include the head of the presidential protocol, bodyguards and the pilot. The international community has expressed condolences, including a moment of silence at the United Nations Security Council, but some human rights advocates have questioned the propriety of such gestures given Raisi’s history of human rights abuses.

The National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) faces a one-year extension of its deferred status, as the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) raises concerns over India’s adherence to the Paris Principles. Despite objections from leading international NGOs, the GANHRI sub-committee on accreditation (SCA) has declined India’s request to lift the deferral. The NHRC and the Indian government lobbied hard to remove the deferral, but the mention of the controversial Manusmriti in an NHRC brochure has sparked outrage and raised questions about Justice Mishra’s views on human rights.

A former US military intelligence official, Harrison Mann, has resigned over his moral objections to US support for Israel’s war in Gaza. In a letter to his colleagues, Mann expressed his guilt and shame for helping to advance a policy that he believes has contributed to the mass killing of Palestinians.

In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), protests have erupted over heavy taxation, high inflation, and electricity shortages. The Pakistani government has responded with a heavy-handed crackdown, deploying police who have fired tear gas, pellets, and bullets in an attempt to quell the demonstrations. Two protesters have been killed in the violence.

The protests were organized by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an umbrella group representing various political parties in PoK. The APHC has condemned the Pakistani government’s actions and called for an end to the violence.

The Pakistani government has denied that its forces have used excessive force and has blamed the protesters for instigating the violence. However, videos have emerged that appear to show Pakistani police firing live ammunition into the crowd.

The protests have highlighted the growing dissatisfaction among the people of PoK with the Pakistani government. The region has been a source of tension between India and Pakistan for decades, and the recent violence is likely to further strain relations between the two countries.

The Council of Europe is the only regional human rights system that has not yet explicitly recognized the right to a healthy environment. However, significant progress has been made in recent years, including the unanimous adoption of a UN resolution recognizing the right in 2022. 42 of the Council’s 46 member states already protect the right to a healthy environment through their national constitutions or legislation, and the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the government’s lack of action on climate change violated the rights of a group of older Swiss women. Despite these advances, there is still a lack of political will to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the growing number of climate cases and the recognition of the right by the UN and other international bodies is putting pressure on the Council of Europe to take action.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, has affirmed that his government will steadfastly protect the rights and freedoms of the Sikh community in the country, numbering approximately 800,000. This statement was made in response to the recent chanting of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans during the celebration of Khalsa Day on Sunday, April 28.

Iraq’s parliament has passed a bill criminalizing same-sex relations and transgender identity, sparking condemnation from human rights groups. The law, which was adopted during a session attended by 170 out of 329 lawmakers, carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for same-sex relations and up to three years in jail for transgender people.

The United States has determined that an Israeli military unit engaged in gross human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank before the conflict in Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the U.S. will postpone a decision on whether to impose sanctions on the unit pending a review of new information provided by Israel. The Israeli government has vehemently opposed any such restrictions, emphasizing that U.S. military assistance for Israel’s defense remains unaffected. The scrutiny centers on a specific Israeli unit, believed to be Netzah Yehuda, which has been linked to abuses against Palestinian civilians, including the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian American in 2022. The U.S. Leahy Law mandates the cessation of military aid to foreign units responsible for severe violations of international law or human rights, but it permits waivers if appropriate reforms are implemented. This incident marks the first potential application of the Leahy Law against Israel, a close ally of the United States.

A report by Poland’s prosecutor general has revealed that the previous government used Pegasus spyware against hundreds of individuals, raising concerns about the abuse of power and the erosion of democratic principles. The spyware, produced by NSO Group, provides operators access to a target’s mobile device, allowing them to extract sensitive information and engage in real-time surveillance.

Burkina Faso’s military has been accused of killing 223 civilians, including 56 children, in two villages in the country’s north. The killings took place in February and were allegedly in retaliation for an attack by Islamist fighters on a military camp. The military has denied the allegations but has not provided any evidence to support its claims. The incident is the latest in a series of human rights abuses by Burkina Faso’s security forces amid a growing jihadi insurgency.