Human rights news covering civil liberties, international human rights law, activism, abuses, and accountability efforts worldwide.
Colombia's Senate unanimously passed Bill 440, making it the first Latin American country to outlaw female genital mutilation nationwide. The bill, championed by Indigenous Embera leader Claudia Quiragama, now awaits President Gustavo Petro's signature. FGM is practiced in Embera communities in western Colombia.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei pardoned 139 individuals sentenced to death and nearly 2,000 others ahead of Eid al-Ghadir. The amnesty excludes security-related detainees. Experts view it as an attempt to ease international pressure over Iran's human rights record.
This commentary argues that Jamaica's all-inclusive tourism model, rooted in colonial-era land laws, has led to the displacement of local communities from beaches. It contends that the government prioritizes wealthy visitors and elites over citizens' rights, framing the conflict as a fight for survival and cultural heritage.
Daphy Michel, 31, died of hypothermia at a Pittsburgh bus shelter three days after ICE released her. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. Her attorney expects a lawsuit against ICE.
Family members of detainees at the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades called 911 from around the world, expressing confusion and desperation over lack of direct contact and medical care. The Miami Herald reviewed over 130 incident reports and 911 calls from summer 2025 through mid-May 2026.
Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey has repeatedly denied family visits due to a strict dress code, rejecting an 11-month-old's onesie and a four-year-old's leggings. Gabriela Soto's husband has been detained since January; she has been turned away over 10 times. The facility faces lawsuits over conditions.
A viral video showing an Indonesian domestic worker being beaten by four suspects in Johor Bahru has prompted an Indonesian MP to urge President Prabowo to intervene. The footage, recorded in July 2025, shows a woman and man repeatedly hitting the worker. Four suspects aged 30-34 were arrested Saturday.
Emir Suljagic, a survivor of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and director of the Genocide Memorial Center, argues that justice for the genocide remains elusive and that memory is nonnegotiable. He contends that responsibility for genocide does not diminish with age or the passage of time, emphasizing the ongoing need to find bodies and prove the atrocity.
Hassan Mousavi Chalak, head of Iran's Association of Social Workers, warned that deepening poverty is driving a rise in child labor, exposing children to sexual exploitation, violence, and malnutrition. He noted worsening economic conditions force families to rely on children's income, with child labor extending to hidden settings like slaughterhouses.
Months after a crackdown on Cambodian cyberscam compounds, trafficking survivors like Anna from Uganda are living on the streets with little support. Cambodian authorities claim tens of thousands have been rescued and repatriated, but human rights groups say victims are abandoned.