site.news_by_theme human rights
Ethiopian bloggers, journalists handed 'terrorism' charges
A group of Ethiopian bloggers and journalists detained for nearly three months have been charged with terrorism for having links to an outlawed group and for planning attacks, a judge said.
19 July 2014
Rakhat Aliyev extradition unlikely: expert
Extradition of Rakhat Aliyev to Kazakhstan is extremely unlikely according to the Deputy Chairman of Birlik political party and former Commissioner for Human Rights in Kazakhstan Bolat Baikadamov.
13 July 2014
Asylum-seeker mothers 'attempt suicide' to get kids to Australia
A dozen mothers in an asylum-seeker camp have reportedly attempted suicide so their children can be settled in Australia, piling pressure on Prime Minister Tony Abbott who said Wednesday he would not be morally blackmailed.
09 July 2014
UN says 110,000 have fled to Russia from Ukraine
Some 110,000 people have fled to Russia from Ukraine while more than 54,000 have been displaced inside the conflict-torn country, the UN said.
28 June 2014
More than 50 million driven from homes by war, crisis: UN
The number of people driven from their homes by conflict and crisis has topped 50 million for the first time since World War II, with Syria hardest hit, the UN refugee agency said.
20 June 2014
Jordanian prince becomes UN's next rights chief
The UN General Assembly Monday approved the nomination of Jordan's Prince Zeid al-Hussein as the next human rights chief, making him the first Muslim and Arab to hold the post.
17 June 2014
US condemns Sudan over Christian woman's death penalty
US Secretary of State John Kerry criticized Sudan on Thursday for sentencing a Christian woman to hang for apostasy, urging Khartoum to repeal its laws banning Muslims from converting.
13 June 2014
Images show farm work at N. Korea prison camp
North Korea has increased economic linkages with a prison camp where inmates are working by hand in agriculture, according to satellite imagery released Thursday by a human rights group.
05 June 2014
Syria's Assad coasts to re-election in 'farce' polls
Bashar al-Assad has been re-elected Syria's president with 88.7 percent of the vote after a poll labelled a farce by rebels fighting to overthrow him, whose outcome was never in doubt.
05 June 2014
Teenager test case in Maldives death penalty revival
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder over a fatal stabbing in the Maldives, becoming the first minor to be accused of a capital offence since the death penalty was reintroduced, officials said.
22 May 2014
Bolivian ex-president can face rights trial in US
A judge in the state of Florida has given a green light for a human rights abuses trial to move forward in the United States against Bolivian ex-president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.
22 May 2014
Kazakhstan sees 31 policemen convicted for torture
35 torture cases have been initiated and 31 policemen convicted in Kazakhstan.
17 May 2014
HRW says 'strong evidence' Syria govt used chlorine gas
Evidence "strongly suggests" Syria's government used chlorine gas on three towns in mid-April in violation of the chemical weapons treaty it joined last year, Human Rights Watch said.
13 May 2014
Egypt verdict expected for Islamist chief, 700 others
The Egyptian judge who sentenced to death hundreds of supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi will pass judgment Monday on another 700 people, including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie.
28 April 2014
Brunei delays introduction of tough Islamic law
Brunei has postponed its implementation of tough Islamic criminal punishments that were due to begin Tuesday and have drawn condemnation from the UN's human rights office and rare criticism at home.
22 April 2014
Nigerian arrested for tweeting attack pictures: Amnesty
Amnesty International urged the Nigerian security forces Friday to disclose the whereabouts of a man who was arrested after tweeting pictures of an attempted jail break at the headquarters of the intelligence agency.
12 April 2014
Obama to meet woman activist on Saudi visit
US President Barack Obama will meet a woman activist in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, when women have pledged to defy a driving ban, a US official said.
29 March 2014
Children call Australian immigration detention 'hell'
Children held in immigration detention in Australia have described conditions as "hell" with a human rights inquiry Monday detailing many banging their heads, biting themselves and wetting their beds.
25 March 2014
Detained China activist dies after critical illness
A Chinese human rights activist died on Friday after falling critically ill in detention after police denied her medical treatment for months, her brother said.
15 March 2014
Nigeria gets first visit from UN rights chief
Nigeria, under fire internationally for banning gay marriage and alleged abuses while tackling Islamist insurgents, received its first visit from the United Nations human rights commissioner.
13 March 2014