human rights

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After 'Frantic' Search, Ex-Israeli Military Lawyer Arrested

Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is accused of leaking video showing abuse of Palestinian detainee

(Newser) - Israel has arrested Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the nation's former top military lawyer, after she admitted to leaking footage showing Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a Gaza detainee at the Sde Teiman detention center. Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned Friday as military advocate general, said she released the video to counter "...

Child Bride Will Be Executed Unless She Can Raise $100K

Convicted of killing her husband, Goli Kouhkan's fate hinges on 'blood money'

(Newser) - A former child bride allegedly involved in the killing of her abusive husband faces execution in Iran unless she can raise about $100,000 in "blood money" by December. Goli Kouhkan, a 25-year-old member of the marginalized Baluch minority, has spent seven years on death row in Gorgan central...

Feds Shut Down Tip Line for Foreign Military Abuses

Human Rights Reporting Gateway was set up in 2022 to comply with Leahy Laws

(Newser) - The State Department has quietly dismantled the only public channel for reporting allegations of human rights abuses committed by foreign military units armed with American weapons. The Human Rights Reporting Gateway, introduced in 2022, was designed as a tip line for individuals and organizations to flag possible violations directly to...

Chappelle Claims It's 'Easier to Talk' in Riyadh

'Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you'll get canceled'

(Newser) - "It's easier to talk here than it is in America," Dave Chappelle told a cheering audience during his controversial appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. "Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you'll get canceled," he...

Big-Name Comics Face Backlash Over Saudi Fest

Critics, including other comedians, call out comics for performing in Riyadh amid rights concerns

(Newser) - A wave of criticism has hit top comedians like Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Louis CK, and Bill Burr for joining a Saudi government-backed comedy festival , as the kingdom faces renewed scrutiny for human rights abuses, recent executions, and the killing of journalists. The event, part of Saudi Arabia's...

Colombia's President Slams US Boat Strikes as 'Murder'

Petro demands answers as US strikes spark legal and ethical debate

(Newser) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro has labeled recent US airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean as an "act of tyranny," raising pointed questions about their legality and human cost. In a BBC interview , Petro argued that using military force against such vessels—reportedly resulting in 17...

Egypt's President Pardons Prominent Political Prisoner

Alaa Abd el-Fattah freed after years in prison and global advocacy efforts

(Newser) - A pardon from Egypt's president has ended one of the country's most closely watched cases of political imprisonment. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has granted a pardon to Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a high-profile Egyptian-British activist whose repeated detentions and hunger strikes made him a global symbol of opposition...

Taliban Yanks Women's Books, Courses From Colleges

Women's voices and key subjects, including human rights, are scrubbed from nation's universities

(Newser) - The Taliban government has ordered Afghan universities to remove all books authored by women and has banned the teaching of nearly 20 subjects, including human rights and sexual harassment, according to new guidelines issued in late August. Among the 680 books flagged as problematic, about 140 were written by...

N. Korea Is Executing People for Watching Foreign Films

UN reports says executions have been stepped up since 2020

(Newser) - A new United Nations report finds North Korea is increasingly using the death penalty for ordinary citizens, including those caught watching or distributing foreign films and TV shows. The investigation, which drew on interviews with more than 300 people who escaped the country in recent years, says Kim Jong...

Israel Calls Vote by Genocide Scholars 'Disgraceful'

International Association of Genocide Scholars says Israeli campaign in Gaza is indeed genocide

(Newser) - A leading group of genocide scholars has formally declared that Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza meets "the legal definition of genocide." The International Association of Genocide Scholars, which has about 500 members, approved the resolution by a wide margin—86% of those voting supported it....

UN Staffers Call for Gaza War to Be Labeled Genocide

Poll shows 50% Americans agree

(Newser) - Hundreds of United Nations staffers have urged Volker Turk, the United Nations' top human rights official, to formally label the ongoing conflict in Gaza a genocide. According to a letter seen by Reuters , more than 500 employees from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights argue that...

Young People's Frustrations Erupt After Rapper's Arrest

Gnassingbé family has ruled Togo since 1967

(Newser) - When the arrest of a popular rapper ignited waves of protests by young people in Togo, it exposed not only the risks faced by dissenters but also mounting frustration with a dynasty that has ruled the country for nearly six decades. The music of Tchala Essowè Narcisse, known as...

Rights Group Sees 'Horrifying' Trend in Saudi Executions

Amnesty International says hundreds of low-income foreigners executed on drug charges

(Newser) - Amnesty International is raising the alarm over what it calls a "horrifying" number of foreigners being executed in Saudi Arabia over drug charges. The human rights organization counts roughly 600 drug-related executions over the last decade, and it says most of those put to death after "grossly...

Hamas Suggests It Would Negotiate Ceasefire Terms

UN reports toll of Palestinians killed trying to receive aid in Gaza

(Newser) - Hamas said Friday it has given a "positive" response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza but said further talks were needed on implementation. It was not clear if that meant the militant group had accepted the US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, the AP reports. "...

Serbian Protesters: 'Sound From Hell' Likely Sonic Weapon

Protesters claim police used banned device at rally

(Newser) - A massive anti-government demonstration in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 15 was disrupted by a mysterious and disturbing noise that sparked panic, and many protesters believe an illegal sonic weapon was used. Witnesses like Sasa Cvrkovic recalled the sound as similar to a jet flying past, causing chaos, including a stampede...

Tilda Swinton Stepping Away From a 'Merciless Mistress'

After scathing speech at Berlinale on world's issues, actor says she's taking a break from work

(Newser) - There are few actors who take on quirkier roles than Tilda Swinton, but apparently working that hard at being weird can take its toll. This week at the Berlinale international film fest in Berlin, the 64-year-old Oscar winner received the Golden Bear lifetime achievement honor, and she used her acceptance...

UN Report: Russia Is Executing More POWs

Witnesses say injured troops also are being killed

(Newser) - Russian armed forces have executed at least 79 captured Ukrainian soldiers since the end of August, a UN body reports, saying the total represents an "alarming rise." Killing prisoners of war and wounded troops is regarded as a war crime under international humanitarian law. "Many Ukrainian soldiers...

Court: Wife Who Refused Sex Not to Blame for Divorce

ECHR rules in favor of Frenchwoman who absorbed all the blame during divorce proceedings in 2012

(Newser) - It's been 13 years since a French couple sought to end their marriage, but their legal case has just now wrapped up—with the wife finally vindicated by Europe's highest human-rights court of being the sole cause of their marital demise. The BBC reports that the 69-year-old Frenchwoman...

George Clooney Calls White House With a Complaint

Biden aides worried about upset actor backing out of fundraiser

(Newser) - George Clooney called the White House last month with a complaint, sparking concern that he would drop out of a June 15 fundraiser for President Biden's reelection campaign. The actor reached presidential counselor Steve Ricchetti to discuss Biden's criticism of International Criminal Court prosecutors' decision to seek arrest...

Judge: Long Island Leader Had No Authority for Trans Ban

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's EO that barred female trans athletes was struck down

(Newser) - A New York judge on Friday struck down a Long Island county's order banning female transgender athletes after a local women's Roller Derby league challenged it. Judge Francis Ricigliano ruled that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman didn't have the authority to issue his February executive order, which...

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