site.news_by_theme human rights
Head of new UN N. Korea probe 'inundated' on abuses
The head of a landmark UN team set up to probe human rights violations in North Korea said Wednesday he had been inundated by people wanting to give evidence on abuses just hours after his appointment.
10 May 2013
Syrian rebels used sarin gas: UN human rights investigator
Syrian rebels have made use of the deadly nerve agent sarin in their war-torn country's conflict.
07 May 2013
HRW urges Obama to address Mexico drug war abuses
US President Barack Obama should address human rights violations related to Mexico's Washington-backed war on drugs when he visits the country this week.
01 May 2013
Australia rejects calls to boycott Sri Lanka meet
Australia has vowed not to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka over allegations of human rights violations, despite mounting calls not to attend.
27 April 2013
Russia hits 18 US officials with tit-for-tat entry ban
Russia on Saturday published its own blacklist of US officials banned from entering the country in retaliation for Washington's move Friday to name 18 Russians who allegedly committed human rights abuses.
13 April 2013
Blind activist says China violated US freedom deal
The Chinese human rights activist at the center of a diplomatic crisis a year ago on Tuesday accused Beijing of reneging on the agreement that freed him and urged the United States to intervene.
10 April 2013
Argentine grandmothers attack Pope over 'Dirty War' era
An Argentinian human rights group set up to find babies stolen during the country's "Dirty War" on Friday accused newly elected Pope Francis of failing to speak out against the country's former military rulers.
18 March 2013
China performed 330 mn abortions since 1971: data
Nearly 330 million abortions have been performed in China in the 40 years since it first implemented measures to limit population growth in the world's most populous nation.
17 March 2013
Lawyers demand US show steps toward closing Guantanamo
Lawyers for detainees at Guantanamo prison called for the US to show concrete steps towards closing the facility on Tuesday, citing a "humanitarian crisis" at the controversial jail.
14 March 2013
Romania film festival focuses on Holocaust
The One World international human rights documentary film festival which opens in Bucharest on Tuesday will give special focus to the Holocaust to highlight the devastating consequences of hatred and intolerance.
13 March 2013
Fishermen rescue another 63 Rohingya off Indonesia
Fishermen in western Indonesia rescued more than 60 ethnic Rohingya asylum-seekers from Myanmar found adrift in a wooden boat, police said Friday, in the second such arrival this week.
01 March 2013
Pussy Riot case shows Putin weak: bandmember's husband
Pussy Riot icon Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is behind bars, but her husband is unbowed, saying the punk band's controversial case has exposed the weaknesses in Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule.
20 February 2013
Ivory Coast officially becomes member of ICC
Ivory Coast on Friday became a member of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where its former president is facing trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
16 February 2013
Britain seeks ethical counter-terrorism strategy
Foreign Secretary William Hague will set out on Thursday how Britain intends to work more closely with other countries to tackle terrorism without compromising its own commitment to human rights.
14 February 2013
Obama vows US will back human rights in Middle East
US President Barack Obama vowed to maintain the pressure on the Syrian regime and to defend human rights in the Middle East on Tuesday, but offered no new ideas to halt bloodshed in the Arab world.
13 February 2013
Cuba says Obama 'misinformed' on island affairs
A senior Cuban official lashed out at President Barack Obama on Friday for linking improved human rights in the country to better diplomatic ties, and suggesting the communist island had outdated policies.
03 February 2013
Mexico top court frees French woman jailed for kidnap
A French woman was freed from Mexican prison Wednesday after the Supreme Court ruled that police violated her rights by staging her arrest for kidnapping on national television seven years ago.
25 January 2013
Obama honors civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
President Barack Obama paid tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday as he started his second term on the holiday honoring the iconic civil rights leader.
23 January 2013
HRW urges Egypt to halt deportations to Syria
Egypt government unlawfully expelled two Syrian refugees back to the war-ravaged country last week, and two Palestinians from Syria now risk being deported.
19 January 2013
UN to increase contacts with Syrian opposition
The UN humanitarian chief said Monday she has asked the Syrian government for 10 more aid groups to work in the country and will increase contacts with the opposition to help those in need.
18 December 2012