US President Donald Trump meets his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Washington on Monday, welcoming a strongman leader who has faced harsh criticism for his human rights record. For Sisi, the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump following his surprise election victory, the Oval Office meeting will have special meaning — he was never … Read more
Kenya’s police chief Saturday ordered an investigation after a video circulated on social media showing a police officer killing a disarmed man in cold blood in front of a crowd of onlookers in Nairobi. “I have ordered thorough investigations on the shooting incident that occurred in Eastleigh,” a majority Somali neighbourhood in the Kenyan capital, … Read more
Tunisian activists say they are frustrated by the slow progress on reforms to improve civil liberties six years after an uprising calling for more freedoms in the North African country. The 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ushered in a new era of freedom of expression and the creation of … Read more
Police have made a sixth arrest in connection with a brutal mob attack on Nigerian students in northern India that rights groups labelled a hate crime, an officer said Friday. The students were thrashed with sticks and metal chairs in Greater Noida in a vicious assault that was captured on camera and shared widely on … Read more
The Ethiopian parliament has extended by four months a state of emergency it declared six months ago after almost a year of often violent anti-government demonstrations. The widely expected extension comes amid reports of continued violence and anti-government activities in some rural areas. At least 500 people were killed by security forces during the year … Read more
People living in Ghana’s mining communities may now be better protected from deadly mercury poisoning. On March 23, Ghana ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury – a real step forward for communities affected by mercury pollution. Mercury, a toxic liquid metal, is used in small-scale gold mines all over the world to separate the gold … Read more
Arab leaders gathered for an annual summit in Jordan Wednesday looking to overcome divisions on regional crises including the devastating wars in Syria and Yemen. A show of unity was expected on the Israeli-Palestinian question, but on other issues analysts said any breakthrough was highly unlikely. As the summit of the 22-member Arab League opened … Read more
Arab leaders are set to meet in Jordan on Wednesday for their annual summit with no expected breakthrough on resolving conflicts or “terrorism” in the region. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is among 22 leaders attending the Arab League for the meeting in Sweimeh on the Dead Sea coast from 0900 GMT. UN chief Antonio Guterres … Read more
An Ivory Coast court has found former first lady Simone Gbagbo not guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity after a trial on her alleged role in postelection abuses that led to the deaths of thousands. Judge Kouadio Bouatchi with the country’s highest criminal court said a jury unanimously voted on Tuesday to free … Read more
President Omar al-Bashir will attend an Arab League summit in Amman this week, Sudan’s foreign minister said Sunday, despite a top rights group urging Jordan to deny him entry. Bashir is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged genocide and war crimes related to the conflict in war-torn Darfur. “President Omar al-Bashir … Read more
A Singaporean teenager who was jailed twice after insulting the island’s late leader Lee Kuan Yew and religious groups has been granted political asylum in the United States, his US lawyer said Saturday. Amos Yee, 18, shocked Singaporeans in March 2015 after posting an expletive-laden video attacking Lee as the founding prime minister’s death triggered … Read more
The United Nations commission of inquiry for South Sudan now has broader powers to pursue human rights abuses in the country’s civil war. The U. N. Human Rights Council on Thursday gave the commission the ability to collect and preserve evidence and point the finger at suspected perpetrators. Human Rights Watch calls it a significant … Read more
The Gambia will set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate abuses committed during ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s rule, the justice minister has said. The finances of Mr Jammeh would also be investigated, Abubacarr Tambadou added. People would be encouraged to confess to crimes, and victims would be offered compensation, he said. The former regime … Read more
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned Thursday he may impose martial law and suspend elections for tens of thousands of local posts, fuelling concerns about democracy under his rule. Duterte said he was considering both measures as part of his controversial campaign to eradicate illegal drugs in society, and that martial law would also solve a … Read more
Iraqis should not carry out hurried or ad hoc exhumations of mass graves left by jihadists, as this makes identifying victims more difficult, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. Dozens of mass graves have been discovered in areas retaken from the Islamic State jihadist group, whose rule in Iraq and Syria has been marked by widespread … Read more
Pakistan on Monday ordered the border with Afghanistan to be reopened “immediately”, a month after it was closed amid soaring tensions as Islamabad and Kabul accused one another of providing safe haven for militants. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the two main crossings on the long, porous border be reopened as a gesture of “goodwill”, … Read more
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has described European lawmakers as “crazies” in a salty-tongued rebuttal to criticism of his deadly drug war, while vowing again that all traffickers will be killed. Duterte fired his broadside in a late-night speech Sunday in Myanmar after the European Parliament issued a resolution last week condemning “the high number of … Read more
With his department reeling over President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts and the international community worried, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted Thursday he was happy to try to do more with less. Though the budget is unlikely to pass Congress in its current form, it underscores Trump’s isolationist rhetoric and “America First” promises, … Read more
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said 155 people, including 15 children, were killed in fierce fighting that erupted late last year in western Uganda between security forces and a tribal king’s palace guards. The death toll was “far higher than the Ugandan authorities claimed at the time”, the US-based watchdog said in a statement. But … Read more
Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo said Wednesday the nation’s drug war had left Filipinos feeling “hopeless and helpless”, with trust in the police eroded by thousands of summary executions. In a video message to a United Nations meeting on extrajudicial killings posted online, Robredo also called for international scrutiny on President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial crackdown. … Read more