(2024-07-16). "Blank Check" for Genocide: Court Dismisses Palestinians' Case Against Biden Admin over Gaza War. democracynow.org 
A lawsuit led by Palestinians and Palestinian Americans that accused President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials of enabling genocide in Gaza was rejected Monday by a federal appeals court, which upheld a lower court's dismissal of the lawsuit. The three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court ruled that courts cannot review the executive branch's decisions on foreign policy, even when there is a risk of breaking domestic and international law. We speak with Katherine Gallagher, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, which helped represent the plaintiffs in the case. She sa…
(2024-07-16). PEN America decries Israel's assault, detention of Palestinian author. presstv.ir PEN America has denounced the Israeli detention of Hanan Awwad, a Palestinian author and poet, in East al-Quds.
(2024-07-16). EU imposes sanctions on 5 Israeli individuals and 3 entities over rights abuses. scmp.com The list included Tzav 9, a group that it said had regularly blocked humanitarian aid trucks delivering food, water and fuel to Gaza.
(2024-07-16). Who will stop Israel's illegal annexations of Palestinian land ? fidh.org The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) condemns Israel's plans to annex and expand illegal settlements in the West Bank, actions that constitute war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Third countries must uphold international law for the Palestinian people, or it will eventually cease to exist. FIDH call on all states to deploy all the necessary efforts in order to end Israel's settler-colonialism and apartheid, and work towards the realisation of the Palestinian (…) | – | /…
(2024-07-16). Far-right groups that block aid to Gaza receive tax-deductible donations from U.S. and Israel. haaretz.com Three ultranationalist groups have received upward of $200,000 in tax-deductible donations from the US and Israel, despite sanctions.
(2024-07-16). Israel army detains Palestinians, destroys properties in W. Bank. newarab.com 
The
(2024-07-16). UK MPs demand sanctioning Israel, recognizing Palestinian state. muslimmirror.com London : Calls are getting laude in the British House of Commons regarding Palestine and their plight, with a number of lawmakers demanding David Lammy, newly-appointed Foreign Secretary end ties with the Zionist regime and recognize an intendent Palestinian state. In a joint letter addressed to Lammy, lawmakers referred to the high number of martyrs …
(2024-07-16). Israeli courts cannot and will not prosecute Israel's war crimes. aljazeera.com The Israeli judiciary's dismal track record on torture and collective punishment of Palestinians proves as much.
(2024-07-16). Three officers and a philosopher: Inside the secretive IDF committee that decides who is a conscientious objector. haaretz.com Human rights advocates say even MLK and Mahatma Gandhi would not be recognized as conscientious objectors based on the IDF's definition of the term. Academics on the committee, activists, objectors and lawyers tell Haaretz how the military system deals with defiant refusers…
(2024-07-16). Crackdown on Egypt's Faisal Street over anti-Sisi signs. newarab.com 
Egypt's Faisal An unknown number of citizens were detained as security forces were deployed in and around the long street, cordoning off side roads in and around it, also known as the Faisal neigh…
(2024-07-16). Milwaukee Republican National Convention Opens With Protest March. popularresistance.org Milwaukee, WI — The 2024 Republican National Convention opens Monday morning with downtown sealed behind fences and barricades, forming a large security perimeter. On opening day, the Coalition to March on the RNC is set to take the streets near the inner security zone downtown controlled by the Secret Service. The Poor People's Army (aka Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign) is also slated to march on Monday. Unicorn Riot is planning to cover events live at the beginning of the convention as conditions permit — support our coverage here. | Protesters have faced difficulties getting their mess…
(2024-07-16). US War Games In Pacific Seek Global Participation In Imperialist Maneuvers. popularresistance.org Every two years, the Indo-Pacific Command Center of the United States convenes the largest maritime war exercises on the planet. With over 35,000 troops participating, 29 nations, 46 naval surface ships, 4 nuclear submarines, and a multitude of air and ground forces, the Rim of the Pacific military exercises, or RIMPAC, is one of the most destructive training events globally. | Through these exercises, the US consolidates its control of the Pacific. RIMPAC began as an annual training exercise in 1971 and became bi-annual in 1974. Since it began, some of the historically worst human rights abusers like the US, Aus…
(2024-07-16). El Salvador children tortured, imprisoned and convicted of crime in gang crackdown: report. scmp.com Gang-busting President Nayib Bukele's government has rounded up more than 80,000 presumed gangsters, with children and teenagers accounting for some 3,000 of those, according to the HRW report.
(2024-07-16). Children 'tortured, abused' in El Salvador's prisons: Report. aljazeera.com More than 3,000 minors, many with 'no apparent connection to gangs', have been arbitrarily arrested, rights group says.
(2024-07-16). El Salvador's Children: Victims of Arbitrary Detention Amid Gang Crackdown. devdiscourse.com More than 60 children in El Salvador have been arbitrarily detained, tortured, and beaten since the government declared a state of emergency over two years ago to combat gangs, a report by the Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
(2024-07-16). UN Body to Examine Türkiye's Record on Torture. hrw.org Click to expand Image | Police arrest an individual in Diyarbakir, Turkey, October 2016. | © 2016 Ilyas Akengin/AFP/Getty Images | This week, the United Nations Committee against Torture will review Türkiye's record on preventing torture and ill-treatment. Human Rights Watch is among numerous civil society groups that have submitted evidence to the committee that Türkiye's record on torture has deteriorated greatly since the committee's last review in May 2016.In the aftermath of the 2016 military coup attempt, there was a steep rise in reports of police detaining people en masse and torturing t…
(2024-07-16). Unions Slam "Billionaire" Trump-Vance Ticket as Working-Class "Nightmare" truthout.org Leading U.S. unions warned voters on Monday not to be fooled by the pro-worker facade constructed by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio who has opposed congressional efforts to strengthen organizing rights, allowed corporate lobbyists to influence his legislating, and raked in donations from the elites he claims to despise. |
(2024-07-16). GOP Speakers at First Night of RNC Attack Transgender Youth. truthout.org Despite uncharacteristic calls from GOP nominee former President Donald Trump to promote a message of "unity," several speakers on the first night of the Republican National Convention took a different route, peddling hateful rhetoric toward transgender people. Rep. John James (R-Michigan) parroted disingenuous talking points often cited in right-wing attacks on transgender rights: the need… |
(2024-07-16). Hundreds March Against GOP in Milwaukee During First Day of RNC. truthout.org On Monday, protesters flooded the streets of downtown Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention, calling for racial justice, reproductive rights, and a free Palestine. The march appeared to be composed of somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 people, and included representatives from around 100 local and national organizations, with demonstrators describing themselves as the "Coalition… |
(2024-07-16). "Genocidal Man" vs. "Fascist Man": RNC Protesters Decry 2024 Choices, Call for Justice. democracynow.org 
"We were given a genocidal man and a fascist man, and that is a terrible decision to pick from," says one of the protesters who joined a broad coalition of progressive groups and unions to march in Milwaukee against the Republican Party Monday on the first day of the Republican National Convention. We speak with people calling for an end to racist policies supported by the GOP; defending the rights of women, LGBTQ people and abortion access; supporting Palestine and more.
(2024-07-16). Leonard Peltier's Message Read at Closing of United Nations Session in Geneva. indybay.org Leonard Peltier's Words were read at the closing of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva. "No one can break the Spirit of a Sundancer," Peltier said in his message to the U.N.
(2024-07-16). AI and the digital scramble for Africa. mronline.org 
We are told that Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to be a powerful tool for advancing democratic concerns and human rights across Africa. Yet, there are also early indicators that AI could undermine democratic institutions and processes, especially if these technologies prioritise colonial-capitalist development trajectories. Scott Timcke looks at some of the issues at stake.
(2024-07-16). Colombian President to sanction pension reform. plenglish.com Bogota, Jul 16 (Prensa Latina) Colombian President Gustavo Petro will sign the Pension Reform approved on June 14 by the House of Representatives today in the central Plaza Bolívar in the capital.
(2024-07-16). Seoul: First-ever North Korean Defectors Day Celebrated. pressenza.com 
July 14, Sunday. It was proposed in February this year by the South Korean Ministry of Unification to designate the 14th of July as a national day in honor of North Korean refugees. As such, the first North Korean Refugee Day Festival was celebrated at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, DDP, in central Seoul. The Designation Day initiative is part of broader efforts to raise awareness of human rights issues in North Korea. | The festival was attended by Koreans and foreigners with singing, dance, and business showcases. Various booths hosted by NGOs who work for North Korean defectors were busy handing out gifts, souve…
(2024-07-16). In another hostile measure, EU extends sanctions against Iran. presstv.ir The Council of the European Union said the restrictive measures will continue to be reviewed annually. The extension is now until July 27, 2025.
(2024-07-16). Iranian cleric, media activist detained in Saudi Arabia released. presstv.ir Saudi authorities release Iranian cleric and media activist Seyyed Kazem Rouhbakhsh, whom they detained in the kingdom during his Hajj pilgrimage.
(2024-07-16). Harvard appoints former Pentagon general counsel and Northrop Grumman executive as vice president. wsws.org O'Connor's appointment is a provocation and marks another step in an offensive against democratic rights on campus.
(2024-07-16). 'We sought rights': Bangladesh on edge after quota protest turns violent. aljazeera.com Hundreds of students were injured in clashes on Monday, but they've refused to back down.
(2024-07-16). El Salvador: Rights Violations Against Children in 'State of Emergency'. hrw.org Click to expand Image | The bedroom of Lucrecia Pérez (pseudonym), then-17, at her aunt's house on December 16, 2023, in a rural town in Sonsonate, El Salvador. Lucrecia was detained for a year and charged with collaborating with a gang. | © 2023 Human Rights Watch…
(2024-07-16). Iran: Report on the human rights situation for the Universal Periodic Review. fidh.org On 17 July 2024, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) submitted a report for the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Iran.
The report, jointly prepared with the League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI), highlights the deteriorating human right situation in Iran since the previous UPR in November 2019.
| The report covers the following thematic areas: the judiciary and fair trial rights; the death penalty; civil society and human rights defenders; (…) | – |
(2024-07-16). French police detain man suspected of stabbing soldier in Paris. scmp.com The man was known to authorities in France over a 2018 murder that saw him detained in a psychiatric facility.
(2024-07-16). Peru's convict ex-president Alberto Fujimori, 85, aims to run again. scmp.com Fujimori, who governed with an iron fist and fled Peru amid corruption scandals and rights violations, was released from prison in December.
(2024-07-16). China: Oral statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council. fidh.org On 4 July 2024, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) delivered a statement at the 56th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council for the adoption of the report of China's Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The statement expressed disappointment over the Chinese government's rejection of numerous key recommendations made by UN member states. Read the statement below.
UN Human Rights Council — 56th session
| Item 6: Adoption of the Universal Periodic Review (…) | – | /…
(2024-07-16). Thailand: Killing of prominent human rights defender Roning Dolah. fidh.org
(2024-07-16). Defending Women's Rights: The Urgent Need for Equal Rights Amendments. fairobserver.com As a US citizen, New Yorker, and international human rights lawyer committed to advancing legal equality globally, I have found recent developments regarding reproductive rights both heartening and alarming. In light of the 2022 US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overruled Roe v. Wade, the need for federal and state Equal Rights…
(2024-07-16). Kenya/IMF: Align Economic Reform with Rights. hrw.org Click to expand Image | Protestors demonstrate against the Finance Bill 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, June 25, 2024. | © 2024 Sipa via AP Images | (Nairobi) — The Kenyan government and International Monetary Fund should work together to ensure that the IMF program and its implementation align with human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. The focus should be on progressive revenue generation and accountability over public funds.Following the recent nationwide protests, President William Ruto declined to sign Finance Bill 2024, which included regressive tax measures that risked undermining rights. Any a…
(2024-07-16). Russia: Oleg Orlov's appeal rejected. fidh.org
(2024-07-16). China: Government manipulates human rights review. fidh.org
(2024-07-16). For a moment, Gazans had hope the war would end. Now they feel they've been abandoned. haaretz.com The world only cares about what happened to Mohammad Deif, the people of Gaza say, and 'nobody talks about the scores of dead anymore.' There used to be international pressure, a human rights activist said, but 'now, everyone is waiting for Netanyahu'…
(2024-07-16). Cambodia: Convictions and prison sentences of ten members of Mother Nature Cambodia. fidh.org
A leader of Tunisia's Islamist-inspired opposition party Ennahda was arrested Saturday, his party said in a statement on Facebook. | The party, whose chief "Ajami Lourimi, the secretary-general of the Ennahda Party, was detained without judicial permission along with two companions in Borj Al Amrim," around 37 kilometres (23 miles) west of the capital Tunis, the statement said. | Ennahda was the largest party…
The United Nations mission in 
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stakeholders from Civil Society Organizations, politicians, and the medical fraternity have faulted religious leaders for sabotaging campaigns aimed at reducing rampant teenage pregnancies in Uganda. This criticism was voiced during the Kigezi Regional Dialogue on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, organized by the Non-Governmental Organization Local Sustainable Communities (LOSCO) at White …