Human Rights

UN human rights chief urges states to challenge Israel over occupation

He denounced the increased use of the death penalty and "alarming regressions" on gender equality, in reference to new morality laws in Afghanistan

Tripura's CM Saha announces additional Rs 10 cr for flood-affected people

In response to Chief Minister Manik Saha's call, financial aid is being deposited into the relief fund daily, reflecting a strong humanitarian response from the community

29 executions in two days in Iran, UN rights office expresses concerns

The UN human rights office is expressing concerns about reports that Iran has executed 29 people over two days this week, with the rights chief decrying an alarmingly high number" of executions in such a short period of time. The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday it has verified 38 people were executed in July, bringing the total number of executions to at least 345 this year mostly for drug offenses or murder including 15 women. Imposing the death penalty for offenses not involving intentional killing is incompatible with international human rights norms and standards, rights office spokeswoman Liz Throssell told a U.N. briefing Friday. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk is extremely concerned about reports that, in the space of two days this week, Iranian authorities reportedly executed at least 29 people across the country, she said. This represents an alarmingly high number of executions in such a short period of time. Throssell

NHRC issues notice to Delhi govt over death of inmates at shelter home

The NHRC on Saturday said it has issued notices to the Delhi government and the city's police chief over reports alleging that 12 inmates died within a month at a shelter home in Rohini. The death of inmates, in such a large number within a short period, indicates "negligence on the part of the authorities", the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement. The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that 12 inmates died between July 15 and July 31 at the Delhi government-run shelter home -- Asha Kiran -- for people with mental impairment, it said. Reportedly, they included 10 women and two men. Their symptoms were similar that is loose motion and vomiting. Several other inmates are reportedly undergoing treatment at a hospital, the commission said. According to data of the medical care unit of the shelter home, in July, 54 inmates were sent outside the facility for treatment. This has "caused alarm and revived allegations of neglect and poor living conditions

Human Rights Watch urges restraint as Pak forces crackdown on Balochs

Pakistani security forces have reportedly detained several peaceful protesters from Hub Chowki and Karachi who were demonstrating against "brutality" by the administration

SC raps Assam govt over 'sorry state' of detention centre for foreigners

A Supreme Court bench asked the Assam Legal Services Authority to visit the detention centre to establish sub-par facilities and assess the quantity and quality of food and kitchen hygiene

NHRC issues notice to health ministry, Delhi govt over shooting at hospital

The NHRC on Thursday said it has issued notices to the Union health ministry, the Delhi government and the city's police commissioner in connection with the incident of a patient being shot dead inside a hospital here. Issuing the notices, the National Human Rights Commission observed that apart from the medical treatment of the patients, their safety is also a crucial aspect to be looked into by the administration of the government hospitals. In a statement, the rights panel said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a patient was shot dead by assailants inside a ward of the GTB Hospital at Dilshad Garden, Delhi on July 14". According to the media report, carried on July 15, anyone can enter the hospital wards without any restrictions. The security guards do not pay any attention towards the safety and security of patients, the statement said. "Those coming inside the hospital to meet patients are never checked by the security staff. There is no provision of ...

UCC adopted by Uttarakhand will become equality template for all: CM Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday expressed optimism that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) adopted by his state would pave the way for greater equality in personal laws for everyone in the country, besides promoting unity among local communities and upholding gender equality. Uttarakhand is the first state in the country after Independence to adopt the UCC. Addressing a gathering in Mumbai where he was felicitated, Dhami claimed Uttarakhand was witnessing "land Jihad" which was stopped by his government and about 5,000 acres of encroached land was retrieved. Stating that the UCC legislation aims to bridge societal divides rather than target any specific group, Dhami highlighted its potential to end discriminatory practices against women and ensure equal rights for all citizens. He attributed the initiative to the vision of late leader Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, underscoring the UCC's significance in addressing both legal and moral imperatives. "The UCC bill passed

India rejects comments by UN human rights chief on foreign influence laws

India has rejected a comment by the UN's top human rights official on foreign influence laws, saying principles of transparency and accountability cannot be applied selectively. India's Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, said he "humbly disagrees" with the brief reference to India made by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in his Global Update 56th session of the Human Rights Council this week. Turk had said in his global update that a worrying trend in terms of civic space is the consideration or adoption of so-called transparency or foreign influence laws in over 50 countries, including in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, India, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Slovakia and Turkiye. These laws risk having serious chilling effects on the work of civil society, freedom of expression and of association. Bagchi said democratic nations across

Indian man, abandoned in Italy after severing arm during work injury, dies

Satnam Singh was "left to die on road" after he severed his arm in an accident while working on a farm in the countryside of Italy's Latina on Monday

Seoul to resume loudspeaker broadcasts as Pyongyang sends trash balloons

South Korea says it will restart anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in response to continuing North Korean campaigns to drop trash on the South with balloons. Following an emergency security meeting led by South Korean national security director Chang Ho-jin, the officials decided to install and begin the loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas on Sunday, Seoul's presidential office said in a statement. The move is certain to anger North Korea and potentially prompt it to take its own retaliatory military steps. Chang and other South Korean security officials berated Pyongyang for attempting to cause anxiety and disruption in South Korea and stressed that North Korea will be solely responsible for any future escalation of tensions between the Koreas. North Korea over the weekend flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea in its third such campaign since late May, the South's military said, just days after South Korean activists floated ..

Int'l bodies must take note of human rights violations in PoK: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that international bodies should take cognisance of human rights violations in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Addressing an election rally in Odisha's Khurda, he said, "Human rights are being violated in PoK... international human rights agencies should take cognisance of the happenings in PoK." He claimed that the people of PoK now desire to join India instead of remaining under the Pakistani administration. "I had earlier said we need not attack anyone, they will come on their own. Two days ago, I saw a video in which people of PoK were seen uprooting a Pakistani flag-post," he said. "PoK is and will remain an integral part of India," he asserted. He said that barring a few stray incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorism has been reduced to zero under the NDA rule, while several terror attacks took place under the previous UPA regime. "In 2008, our IPS officers fell to bullets in Mumbai (26/11 attack)... what was the then Congress gover

Saudi 'ordered to kill' those who resisted eviction for futuristic city

A former intelligence officer says Saudi government asked officers to 'kill those who protested land eviction notices

Iraqi govt requests UN to end its political mission in country by 2025

The Iraqi government has requested that the United Nations end a mission set up to promote governance and human rights reforms in the country by the end of 2025, the latest in a series of international bodies operating in the nation that Iraq has sought to wind down. The letter sent Wednesday by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that there is no need for the continuation of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Sudani said Iraq's government has been able to achieve a number of important steps in areas that fall under the body's mandate. rendering it redundant. Typically, the mission is extended annually by the UN Security Council, with the current term expiring at the end of this month. Sudani's letter did not oppose a one-year extension but said the mission should focus on wrapping up its tasks to ensure a permanent closure and transfer of its responsibilities by the end of 2025. Established in 2003 in the w

India slams US human rights report, says 'reflects poor understanding'

The '2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India', released by the US State Department, highlighted an ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur

India, US regularly consult on democracy, human rights issues: Official

India and the United States regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues, a senior US State Department official said on Monday, after an official report claimed that there were significant human rights abuses in Manipur last year. "The US and India regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues," Robert S Gilchrist, senior official from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, told reporters after the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was release by Secretary of State Tony Blinken. "We strongly encourage, urge India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments. We also regularly meet with civil society representatives both in the US and India to hear their perspectives, and those sorts of perspectives inform the human rights report, and we encourage the government of India to consult and meet regularly with civil society organisations representing a diversity of people," Gilchrist ...

Beijing taking punitive measures against families of activists: Report

Focused on the year 2023, the report highlights Chinese authorities' punitive measures against human rights defenders' families, including young children

Swiss women win landmark climate case at top Europe human rights court

The Swiss women, known as KlimaSeniorinnen and aged over 64, said their government's climate inaction put them at risk of dying during heatwaves

Humanitarian appeal for Ukraine is only 10% funded for 2024, says UN envoy

The UN's humanitarian appeal to meet needs in Ukraine is only 10% funded for 2024, the country's resident coordinator said Wednesday, putting in jeopardy crucial assistance needed to reach those in need across frontline areas. Denise Brown, the UN's top representative in Ukraine, said an estimated 8.5 million Ukrainians living in dire conditions near combat zones risk going without basic humanitarian deliveries, including food and water. The UN's annual appeal for Ukraine is $3.1 billion. If we don't receive that money, I don't know where that money is going to come from, Brown told The Associated Press in an interview. Without the funds, we won't be able to sustain the high number of colleagues that we have here who are absolutely dedicated to humanitarian support." As the future of military aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance, Brown is lobbying the international community and private sector to remember that humanitarian needs are also high. Ukraine's economy is still suffering th

Foreign journalists, people detained in Moscow amid crackdown on protests

Independent Russian media group Mediazona reported on Saturday that among those held are journalists working for Kommersant, France Press and Spiegel, as well as human rights activists