Executions skyrocket to highest figure in five years
16/5/2023: Amnesty International's annual review of the death penalty reveals that a total of 883 people were known to have been executed across 20 countries, marking a rise of 53% over 2021. Saudi Arabia executed 81 people in a single day.
Source: Amnesty International
Amnesty International calls for universal social protection
10/5/2023: Amnesty International is calling for social security to be made available to everyone worldwide after a series of crises is leaving hundreds of millions trapped in a cycle of poverty and deprivation. About 55% of the world’s population have no recourse to even the most basic social protection.
Source: Amnesty International
Germany’s foreign policy: values or national interests?
7/5/2023: Germany has made democracy and human rights the centerpiece of its foreign policy. However, denouncing nations that don't check the values box, such as China, leads to criticism from domestic business interests.
Source: DW
India has the world’s biggest population but no census
23/4/2023: India hasn’t conducted a proper census since 2011 and there is no sign of preparation for the scheduled update. The government hasn’t figured out the demographic makeup of its massive populace because it’s afraid of what the numbers might say.
Source: CNA
International system unfit to deal with global crises
28/3/2023: Amnesty International’s Annual Report for 2022 highlights double standards throughout the world on human rights. The failure of the international community to unite has led to inadequate responses to human rights abuses, fuelling impunity and instability.
Source: Amnesty International
FIFA reverses Saudi sponsorship of women’s World Cup
17/3/2023: In an off-field victory for human rights, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association has reversed its sponsorship plans with Visit Saudi, Saudi Arabia’s state tourism authority, for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Saudi Arabia is a global outlier on women’s rights and also violates the rights of LGBT people.
Source: Human Rights Watch
World parliaments could take 80 years to achieve gender parity
8/3/2023: Women’s participation in parliaments has never been as diverse and representative as it is in many countries today. However, the World Bank reports that only 14 countries have full legal equality between women and men, and much more needs to be done to increase women’s political representation.
Source: Inter Press Service
Did Nigeria’s election tech fail or was it sabotaged?
2/3/2023: Young voters put their faith in recent amendments to Nigeria's electoral law that promised robust standards through digital technology. But at polling units nationwide, many were transported to an elections twilight zone.
Source: African Arguments
Cambodia’s opposition leader convicted on bogus charges
3/3/2023: The Cambodian political opposition leader, Kem Sokha, has been jailed for 27 years, just months ahead of national elections. UN experts believe that the treason charge against Mr. Sokha is politically motivated.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Rights groups urge UN Human Rights Council to act on Egypt
24/2/2023: The 2021 UN climate conference in Cairo drew attention to the unsatisfactory human rights situation in Egypt. International rights groups are calling on the UN to respond to the further deterioration that has occurred since COP27.
Source: Human Rights Watch