News

International Women’s Day (IWD) takes place on 8 March and is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality campaigns around the world. IWD has been observed since the early 1900s when women started to demand equality. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting … Read more →

Monday 25 February marked the beginning of the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which will be held between 25 February and 22 March, at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva. During the session, high-level discussions will be held on various human rights related issues, such as the right to privacy, rights of persons with disabilities, rights of minorities, and rights of children. The UNHRC holds … Read more →

On 26 February, the 7th World Congress Against the Death Penalty began at the European Parliament in Brussels. Organised by ECPM, it is the world’s leading abolitionist event and the International Observatory of Human Rights is attending the four-day conference together with 1,500 politicians, 150 other NGOs as well as lawyers and researchers from over 115 countries. The Congress is advocating for the abolishment of the death penalty in 52 … Read more →

Venezuela is in turmoil as another weekend of violence has seen four people die and hundreds injured. The violent protests took place at the Venezuelan border with Colombia, when opposition activists gathered at the Simón Bolívar bridge that connects the two countries, to urge authorities to allow humanitarian aid to enter Venezuela. Last month a UN Security Council meeting held on 26 January, expressed serious concern as it confirmed that … Read more →

Thousands of children from around the world remain trapped in Syria facing an uncertain and dangerous future as the debate over what to do with these children rages. Among them are an estimated 100 children born to British IS members and many remain stuck in refugee camps, where they are being held away from the camps’ populations, in segregated areas with foreign women believed to be former Islamic State (IS) … Read more →

On 20 February 2019, Egypt executed nine men accused of killing the country’s former top prosecutor, bringing the total of those executed in the country to 15 in less than three weeks. The men were among 28 sentenced to death for the murder of Hisham Barakat, Egypt’s former public prosecutor, who was assassinated when a car bomb struck his vehicle in 2015. Several of the men said they were forcibly … Read more →