Trump authorizes International Criminal Court sanctions
7/2/2025: US government sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC) would undermine international accountability for the worst crimes and deprive victims around the globe of justice, according to Human Rights Watch. US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that authorizes asset freezes and entry bans on ICC officials and others supporting the court’s work.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN Rights Council launches inquiry into atrocities in Eastern DR Congo
7/2/2025: The creation of a commission of inquiry by the UN Human Rights Council demonstrates growing international recognition of the need to address impunity for past abuses in eastern Congo. Human rights groups, the UN, and the media have reported summary killings, rapes including gang rapes, looting, and unlawful forced labor and conscription.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Trump’s grotesque Gaza proposal is appalling on every level
6/2/2025: The former executive director of Human Rights Watch warns that forcibly removing people en masse from their homeland is a war crime and a crime against humanity. The US president’s plan to expel 2 million Palestinians from Gaza is mind-bogglingly outrageous.
Source: The Guardian
Diplomacy key to ending crisis in eastern DR Congo
31/1/2025: The head of UN Peace Operations has underscored the need for continued diplomatic efforts to end the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and avert the potential for triggering wider regional conflict. The M23 rebel group and Rwandan Defence Force have taken control of the provincial capital, Goma.
UNRWA ‘continues to deliver’ as Israeli ban comes into effect
30/1/2025 The UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) has upheld its commitment to support millions across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Last October, the Israeli parliament passed two laws that called for ending UNRWA’s operations in its territory.
Source: UN News
Will those responsible for atrocities in Syria finally face justice?
18/1/2025: Mandated by the UN, the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism has been amassing evidence of atrocities in Syria over recent years. Hopes are rising that the architects of the brutal former regime of Bashar al Assad will eventually be held accountable for their crimes.
Source: UN News
UNRWA chief welcomes Gaza ceasefire
17/1/2025: Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is only the first step in addressing the region’s overwhelming humanitarian challenges. He is concerned about the dire consequences of Israeli legislation that would terminate UNRWA’s operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Source: UN News
Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has shaky foundation
16/1/2025: The power dynamics between Israel and Hamas are highly asymmetrical., given that Israel has the far superior military strength. However, from the first day of the agreement, large quantities of humanitarian aid, relief materials and fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza.
Source: The Conversation
Ceasefire will not repair lives shattered by Israel’s genocide in Gaza
15/1/2025: Reacting to the potential ceasefire agreement, Amnesty International regrets that the international community has failed to persuade Israel to comply with its legal obligations - and calls for immediate lifesaving supplies to reach all parts of the occupied Gaza Strip.
Source: Amnesty International
Call for European Commission to resist US sanctions on the ICC
15/1/2025: The inauguration of a new Trump Administration raises the possibility of US sanctions against the International Criminal Court, its officials, and those cooperating with it. Human Rights Watch is calling on the European Commission to defend and protect the Court, at a critical juncture for the rules-based international order.
Source: Human Rights Watch