Human Rights | WPN World People News

The United States should immediately halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia following numerous unlawful coalition attacks in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to President Barack Obama. The review announced by the US government following the October 8, 2016 bombing of a crowded funeral hall should examine alleged unlawful airstrikes in which US forces may have taken part and its findings should be released publicly before Obama leaves office.

A new law drafted by Egypt’s parliament would effectively prohibit independent non-governmental groups in the country by subjecting their work and funding to control by government authorities, including powerful security agencies, Human Rights Watch said on Nov 28.

The grave of Anna Kuguma, who was killed in Katumba, Kirumya sub-county in Bundibugyo district, Uganda, around February 27, 2016.

Burmese authorities continue to arrest and charge individuals, including members of the ruling party, for criticizing the military and government, Human Rights Watch said on Nov 27.

Keeping a 100-square-metre apartment with bare concrete walls and a dirt floor warm during a harsh Syrian winter is tough for 70-year-old Aisha.

Following reports of the tragic death of a 6-year-old child and woman during a fire in Moria detention center last night on the Greek island of Lesvos, Save the Children is calling on the EU and the Greek government to urgently work to tackle overcrowding in refugee camps on the islands by moving people to safe and open facilities on the mainland.

Aiming to develop more effective responses to address trafficking on a national level, NGOs, think tanks, private businesses, leading international organizations and academics gathered in Geneva this week for consultations organized by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and supported by the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).

The world continues to be a dangerous place for women: one in three women in Europe has experienced violence, while 55% of women been sexually harassed in the past 12 months. To raise awareness the Parliament buildings in Brussels will be lit up in orange tonight in honour of 25 November being the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This week MEPs called on the EU to adhere to the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

After 1,322 days in arbitrary detention, journalist Mr. Mahmudur Rahman has been finally released on bail this afternoon. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcome his long-overdue release, and urge authorities to drop all pending charges against him.

Refugees who have been finding shelter in Chad for the past ten years or more continue to require food assistance and their food security situation remains precarious, a joint assessment by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has found.