News

On 11 July, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the Philippines that requests the UN human rights office to present a comprehensive report on human rights in the Philippines to the council next June. The resolution also expresses concern about the range of rights violations in the country and calls on the government to cooperate with UN human rights mechanisms and experts. The Philippine government earlier … Read more →

On 10 and 11 July, the first Global Conference on Media Freedom took place in London. The event, organised by the UK government and the government of Canada, is the first of its kind and over 60 ministers attended as well as over 1,000 reporters and members of civil society. The conference is part of an international campaign to shine a global spotlight on media freedom and increase the cost … Read more →

The UK responded to the report by the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on racism by commending the acknowledgement of the UK’s strong legal framework for combatting racism. But the UK government were however quick to criticise the UN’s findings that suggest that UK policies entrench racial inequality in the UK. A 2018 report by the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission says that those from ethnic minorities in … Read more →

Prominent rights lawyer Amal Clooney has said she will join the legal team defending Philippines journalist Maria Ressa, whose news site has repeatedly clashed with President Rodrigo Duterte. Ressa, who was named a Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 for her journalism, faces several criminal charges along with her website Rappler, in what press freedom advocates have branded an act of “persecution”. “Maria Ressa is a courageous journalist … Read more →

According to new research from the BBC, China is deliberately separating Muslim children from their families, faith and language in its far western region of Xinjiang. Records show that in one township alone more than 400 children have lost not just one but both parents to some form of internment, either in the camps or in prison. Based on publicly available documents, and backed up by dozens of interviews with … Read more →

On 2 July, at the 41st session of the Human Rights Council, the UK stated its deep concern that hospitals and schools have been attacked in Idlib and called for the urgent return to the Sochi ceasefire. With over 300 killed and 330,000 displaced since the end of April, the UK Mission to the United Nations Geneva said they agree with the Commission that all sides must end the violence, … Read more →