Jurist

UN Mission: foreign support fuels Sudan war

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan on Sept. 3 released a new report detailing how external support networks fuel the conflict and escalate civilian harm in the country. The Mission concluded that foreign-sourced weapons, drone systems, components and personnel have significantly expanded the military capabilities of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), intensifying the conflict's scale and lethality.

HK court upholds conviction of activist fund organizers

A Hong Kong appellate court on Sept. 3 upheld the conviction of five pro-democracy activists for their failure to register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, created to support detained or injured demonstrators during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, under the Societies Ordinance (Cap 151). The decision exemplifies concerns about the rule of law and growing restrictions on civil society in Hong Kong.

EU migrant 'return hub' plans risk rights abuses

Amnesty International warned Sept. 2 that plans by five European Union member-state governments for migrant "return hubs" in Rwanda and Uganda risk creating "cruel black holes for human rights." The statement came two days before the governments are to meet to review progress on the plans.

Chile: 'emergency' constitutional reform pending

Human Rights Watch on Sept. 2 called for the Chilean National Congress to reject a proposed package of constitutional amendments addressing "national security" questions being pushed by President José Antonio Kast. HRW charged that the amendments, supposedly aimed at fighting organized crime, would undermine due process and human rights protections.

UN experts demand end to US strikes on 'drug boats'

United Nations experts on Sept. 1 issued a statement demanding an end to the unlawful attacks and killings carried out by the United States military on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. The experts indicated that these attacks—which began a year ago and resumed in August after a months-long hiatus—are not justifiable under international humanitarian law.

Victory for Pakistan in Indus waters dispute

In a monumental win for Pakistan, a panel of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on Aug. 31 held that India must honor a nearly 70-year-old water treaty between the two nations. The court said that the treaty remains legally binding and that no party may unilaterally suspend or terminate it.

US sanctions Palestine Action over 'terrorism' ties

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Aug. 20 sanctioned three organizations and two individuals, accusing UK-based Palestine Action, the Italy-based Autistici Inventati, and the Masar Badil network of ties to "violent far-left extremism."

Argentina: 'techno-authoritarian' surveillance state

Amnesty International on Aug. 19 accused Argentina of putting in place a "techno-authoritarian" surveillance infrastructure without adequate legal safeguards, as the government's newly created AI security unit expands state monitoring powers over citizens' online communications and physical movements.

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