Human Rights | WPN World People News

A busy street in in Istanbul, Turkey.

Members of Shia militias, who the Iraqi government has included among its state forces, abducted and killed scores of Sunni residents in a central Iraq town and demolished Sunni homes, stores, and mosques following January 11, 2016 bombings claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS. None of those responsible have been brought to justice.

More than three years after a major rebel offensive was defeated by UN and government forces in Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province, the area remains extremely volatile and producing displacement.

Members of Shia militias, who the Iraqi government has included among its state forces, abducted and killed scores of Sunni residents in a central Iraq town and demolished Sunni homes, stores, and mosques following January 11, 2016 bombings claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS. None of those responsible have been brought to justice.

The international community must stand with the people of Ethiopia in their time of need, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on 31 January, urging donors gathered in Addis Ababa to step up assistance to the drought-hit country, which is battling the effects of one of the most powerful El Niño events in recorded history, made worse by the impact of climate change.

The international community must stand with the people of Ethiopia in their time of need, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on 31 January, urging donors gathered in Addis Ababa to step up assistance to the drought-hit country, which is battling the effects of one of the most powerful El Niño events in recorded history, made worse by the impact of climate change.

Hailing vital commitments the African Union (AU) has made on human rights and women's rights, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged the continent's leaders to move on from setting standards to what he called “the three Is” – Implementation, Institution-building and Investment in real change – and set a shining example for the wider world on 30 January.

The recently accessible mass graves in northern Iraq are being disturbed and possibly compromised for any future prosecutions of what could amount to genocide against the Yezidi people, Human Rights Watch and Yazda, a Yezidi support group, said on January 30. The authorities should take urgent steps to protect the gravesites around Mount Sinjar that became accessible after Kurdish forces recaptured the area from the extremist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

Henry Montgomery, sentenced to life without parole for a crime he committed at 17, has spent “each day of the past 46 years knowing he was condemned to die in prison.” The United States Supreme Court gave him new hope on January 25, 2016.

The Sri Lankan government should fulfill its commitments to the United Nations Human Rights Council by ensuring that foreign judges and prosecutors play a significant role in the mandated accountability mechanism for wartime abuses, Human Rights Watch said on January 25. On January 21, 2016, President Maithripala Sirisena told the BBC, contrary to Sri Lanka’s council commitments, that he will “never agree to international involvement,” saying “[w]e have more than enough specialists, experts and knowledgeable people in our country to solve our internal issues."