West spotlights North Korea rights abuses; China opposes
March 18, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States, its Western allies and experts shone a spotlight on the dire human rights situation and increasing repression in North Korea at a U.N. meeting Friday that China and Russia denounced as a politicized move likely to further escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula.
China criticizes Dutch plan to curb access to chip tools
March 9, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China’s government on Thursday criticized the Netherlands for joining Washington in blocking Chinese access to technology to manufacture advanced processor chips on security and human rights grounds.
Thai man gets 2-year term for calendar said to mock king
March 8, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A Thai man was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday for selling calendars featuring satirical cartoons of yellow ducks that a court said mocked the country’s monarch, a legal aid group said.
UN rights chief cites ‘communication’ about issues in China
March 8, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The new U.N. human rights chief said Tuesday that his office has opened “channels of communication” to help follow up on concerns about the rights of minorities in China, including Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans.
Alaska rights commission limits LGBTQ discrimination cases
March 6, 2023 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's human rights commission has reversed an earlier policy and now is only investigating LGBTQ discrimination complaints related to workplace discrimination and not for other categories like housing and financing.
UN-backed panel calls on China to improve basic human rights
March 6, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N.-backed experts Monday urged China to improve its courts' independence, share data on COVID-19, suspend construction of coal-fired power plants and “immediately" end human rights violations in its western Xinjiang region.
Phil Batt, onion farmer who rose to Idaho governor, dies
March 5, 2023 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former Idaho Gov. Phil Batt, a Republican known for signing an agreement with the federal government to remove nuclear waste from his state, died at home on Saturday. He was 96.
Chinese company rejects rights accusation after US sanctions
March 5, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — BGI Group, one of the world's biggest genetics analysis companies, said Sunday it never would be involved in human rights abuses after the U.S. government said there was a danger some of its units might contribute to Chinese surveillance.
US sanctions Russian officials over dissident’s detention
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on five Russian officials and an expert witness involved in the incarceration of Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition leader who has been imprisoned in Moscow since April for speaking out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus court jails Nobel laureate Bialiatski for 10 years
March 3, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court on Friday sentenced Belarus’ top human rights advocate and one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to 10 years in prison, the latest move in a yearslong crackdown on dissent that has engulfed the ex-Soviet nation since 2020.
China accuses US of attacking companies after export curbs
March 3, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China accused Washington on Friday of improperly attacking Chinese companies after genetics analysis giant BGI Group and 17 others were hit with curbs on access to U.S. technology on security or human rights grounds.
Norway’s leader meets Indigenous Sami as protests end
March 3, 2023 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Indigenous Sami reindeer herders Friday after more than a week of protests against wind farms that activists say endanger the herders' way of life.
UN rights group says Nicaragua executed 40 people
March 3, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — A U.N. human rights groups said Thursday the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega executed at least 40 people and ordered hospitals not to treat demonstrators wounded in antigovernment protests.
Norway’s government apologizes to Sami reindeer herders
March 2, 2023 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Norwegian government apologized Thursday to reindeer herders after activists spent a week protesting a wind farm that they say hinders the rights of the Indigenous Sami people in central and Arctic Norway.
Malaysia’s Anwar urges ASEAN to speak up on Myanmar violence
March 2, 2023 GMTMANILA, Philippines (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to speak up and hold Myanmar's military leaders accountable for blatant human rights violations, but said the country should remain in the regional bloc.
Court dismisses case against TotalEnergies’ Africa projects
February 28, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — A French court on Tuesday dismissed a case brought against TotalEnergies by activists contending that the energy company’s major oil projects in east Africa violated the human rights of the region’s inhabitants and posed environmental risks.
UN chief slams ‘climate-wrecking’ firms at human rights body
February 27, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday stressed the importance of legal challenges against “climate-wrecking corporations" like fossil-fuel producers, ratcheting up his call for the fight against climate change—- this time before the U.N.'s top human rights body.
Russia, Iran sending top envoys to UN’s human rights council
February 26, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will help kick off the latest and longest-ever session of the U.N.'s top human rights body on Monday, with Iran's foreign minister, a senior Russian envoy, and the top diplomats of France and Germany among scores of leaders set to take part.
Ukraine first lady cites rights violations, urges tribunal
February 23, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska gave a video tour of human rights violations in the country following Russia’s invasion almost a year ago, telling a U.N. meeting Wednesday: “We have the right to live free, not to be killed or tortured.”
Ex-PMs of UK, Australia, Belgium urge tough action on China
February 17, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Former leaders from Australia, Britain and Belgium called Friday for a tougher international approach to China to reduce the possibility of war over Taiwan and respond to human rights violations.
China faces grilling in review of key rights by UN committee
February 17, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — China came in for a grilling Wednesday over its human rights record as a two-day hearing opened at the United Nations human rights office, with rights advocates raising issues like relocations from Tibet, COVID-19, reprisals against human rights defenders and a security law that crushed dissidents in Hong Kong.
Hamilton on FIA rule: ‘Nothing will stop me from speaking’
February 15, 2023 GMTSeven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton insisted he will not be silenced by offseason rules that prohibit drivers from speaking out on political issues.
Hamilton said Wednesday he will continue to use his global platform to promote his wide-ranging interests, which include social justice and race, human rights and protection of the LBGTQ community.
4 Burundi rights activists arrested while trying to travel
February 15, 2023 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Four human rights activists have been detained in Burundi while trying to travel to Uganda for a meeting with civil society organizations.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, witnesses at the Bujumbura airport and workers with security and the national human rights commission told The Associated Press that agents with the National Intelligence Service made the arrests Tuesday morning.
Biden yanks human rights candidate over anti-Israel comments
February 15, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has withdrawn its pick of a human rights activist for a post at the Organization of American States for calling Israel an “apartheid state” and blasting a top House Democrat as being “Bought.
Nicaragua’s vote to strip opponents of citizenship
February 14, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Last week Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega packed off 222 political leaders, priests, students, activists and other dissidents to the United States, their release long demanded by the international community.
Roslyn Pope, author of ‘Appeal for Human Rights,’ dies at 84
February 13, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Roslyn Pope, a college professor and musician who wrote “An Appeal for Human Rights,” laying out the reasons for the Atlanta Student Movement against systemic racism in 1960, has died.
Greenpeace to appeal Spain-Saudi arms deal confidentiality
February 13, 2023 GMTMADRID (AP) — Greenpeace said Monday it will appeal a Spanish Supreme Court decision blocking public access, on national security grounds, to information on government export licenses for vehicle-mounted weapons systems sold to Saudi Arabia.
IOC’s Bach says Olympics on history’s side in Russia issue
February 12, 2023 GMTCOURCHEVEL, France (AP) — Insisting sports had to respect the human rights of all athletes, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Sunday denied that the organization was on the wrong side of history by helping Russians and Belarusians qualify for the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
UN human rights chief calls for special forces to Haiti
February 10, 2023 GMTPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The U.N.’s human rights chief on Friday urged the international community to consider deploying a specialized armed force to Haiti, warning that violent gangs are creating a “living nightmare” for thousands of people.
Nicaragua frees 222 opponents of Ortega, sends them to US
February 10, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — In the middle of the night, political leaders, priests, students and activists languishing inside Nicaragua's most notorious prisons were awoken, given the clothes they had been arrested in and told to dress.
Belarus seeks to jail Nobel Peace Prize winner for 12 years
February 9, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities on Thursday requested a lengthy prison sentence for jailed human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
Rwandan driver fined after guilty plea for reporter’s death
February 8, 2023 GMTKIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — A driver whose car hit and killed a Rwandan investigative journalist has pled guilty and has been fined by a court.
Moise Emmanuel Bagirishya was fined $920 for involuntary manslaughter, three weeks after the crash which killed John William Ntwali.
Uganda blocks operations of UN rights office in the country
February 8, 2023 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan authorities say they will not renew the mandate of the United Nations human rights office in the East African country, effectively blocking the group's operations at a time of heightened concerns over rights abuses.
5 priests sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy in Nicaragua
February 7, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — A Nicaraguan court has sentenced four Roman Catholic priests to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges stemming from long-standing government allegations that the church backed illegal pro-democracy protests.
Mali orders UN human rights official to leave the country
February 6, 2023 GMTBAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali's government has ordered the U.N. peacekeeping mission's human rights chief to leave the country by Tuesday, declaring him persona non grata in the latest sign of tensions between Mali's leaders and the international community.
UN rights chief concerned about Israel’s moves amid violence
February 3, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights chief expressed concerns Friday that steps taken by the new Israeli government, the most far-right in the country’s history, could fuel further violations of human rights and humanitarian law in the wake of a recent spike in bloodshed in the region.
UN envoy: Iraq’s new leaders must keep fighting corruption
February 3, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Iraq urged the country’s new government Thursday to keep fighting corruption and move quickly on much-needed economic, fiscal and financial reforms.
UN expert: Deaths of Bangladeshi migrants should be probed
January 31, 2023 GMTDHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The countries where Bangladeshi migrant workers are employed, including former World Cup host Qatar, should thoroughly investigate all cases of deaths and human rights violations, a United Nations expert said Tuesday.
Dems urge Biden to halt aid to Peru over protest crackdown
January 30, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A group of House Democrats is urging the Biden administration to suspend all U.S. security assistance to Peru over a “pattern of repression” of antigovernment protests that has resulted in more than 50 civilian deaths.
Nobel laureate wants more to help probe Russian war crimes
January 26, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — A Ukrainian human rights lawyer who shared last year's Nobel Peace Prize called Thursday for more international investigative and legal help to deal with the staggering amount of war crimes cases since Russia invaded its neighbor almost a year ago.
European court rules Ukraine cases against Russia admissible
January 25, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Europe's top human rights court ruled Wednesday that it can adjudicate on cases brought by the Netherlands and Ukraine against Russia for alleged rights violations in eastern Ukraine in 2014, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
Russian court shuts down country’s oldest rights group
January 25, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow on Wednesday ruled to shut down Russia's oldest human rights organization, in the latest move amid a months-long, relentless crackdown on independent media, rights groups and opposition activists.
Rights groups dismayed at lack of criticism for Peru abuses
January 25, 2023 GMTLIMA, Peru (AP) — More than 50 people have died in ongoing street protests in the weeks since Peru's elected leader was jailed, mostly demonstrators at the hands of police officers, but only a few international voices of concern have emerged.
UN chief insists on special armed forces as Haiti spirals
January 23, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.N. Secretary General António Guterres on Monday insisted on the deployment of an international specialized armed force to Haiti and called on governments to consider halting deportations as the country’s situation spirals.
UN rights chief condemns killing of activist in Eswatini
January 23, 2023 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — United Nations humans rights chief Volker Türk on Monday condemned the “brutal killing” of a leading pro-democracy activist in the southern African nation of Eswatini, which is one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies.
UK judge rejects Uyghur bid to halt Xinjiang cotton imports
January 20, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — A British judge on Friday rejected a lawsuit that accused the U.K. government of allowing the import of cotton products associated with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region — though he acknowledged there were “widespread abuses” in the region’s cotton industry.
Harvard changes course, offers fellowship to rights activist
January 19, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Harvard University announced Thursday that it plans to offer a fellowship to a leading human rights activist after its initial denial sparked widespread criticism.
Mexican group launches online guide for search for missing
January 18, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican human rights group launched an online guide Wednesday for people searching for missing relatives, a real need in a country where authorities are slow to act.
Mexico has almost 110,000 people listed as missing, but many of the most effective searches are carried out by relatives or activists.
Putin foe Browder slams jacked-up fee to attend Davos event
January 18, 2023 GMTDAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Bill Browder, a leading critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, criticized the World Economic Forum on social media for jacking up his entrance fee to the annual meeting in Davos that he has attended for the last 27 years.
Sri Lanka urged to free student activist held over protests
January 17, 2023 GMTCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Human rights groups urged Sri Lanka's government to release a prominent student activist who was arrested five months ago during anti-government protests triggered by the country's worst economic crisis and has been held without charges under harsh anti-terrorism laws.
UN: Al-Qaida and Islamic State driving insecurity in Mali
January 17, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups are driving insecurity in central Mali and continue to clash near populated areas in the northern Gao and Menaka regions, the U.N. chief said in a new report circulated Monday.
Greek court rejects charges against aid workers
January 13, 2023 GMTMYTILENE, Greece (AP) — A court on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday rejected charges against a group of aid workers and volunteers who participated in migrant rescue operations, ruling on procedural grounds to return the case to the prosecution for refiling.
Rights group: Litany of crises in 2022 but also good signs
January 12, 2023 GMTJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Widespread opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine demonstrates the strength of a unified response against human rights abuses, and there are signs that power is shifting as people take to the streets to demonstrate their dissatisfaction in Iran, China and elsewhere, a leading rights group said Thursday.
Indonesian president acknowledges past human rights abuses
January 11, 2023 GMTJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday admitted serious human rights violations had occurred across the country in recent decades and vowed to compensate victims and prevent such abuses from happening again in the future.
Greek trial of volunteer migrant rescuers to resume Friday
January 10, 2023 GMTMYTILENE, Greece (AP) — Two dozen Greek and foreign aid workers and volunteers who participated in migrant rescue operations on an eastern Greek island have gone on trial in a smuggling-related case that’s been widely criticized by human rights groups.
Memphis museum plans events to celebrate MLK Day
January 10, 2023 GMTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A new photography exhibit, a blood drive and food donations are among the planned highlights of the National Civil Rights Museum's celebration of the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Harvard rescinds fellowship offer to leading rights activist
January 9, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Harvard University rescinded a fellowship that it had offered to a leading human rights activist over what he said Monday was his group’s criticism of Israel.
Kenneth Roth, who was the executive director of Human Rights Watch, or HRW, until last year, was recruited by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy to become a fellow and he accepted.
UN rights chief calls for probe into Burkina Faso killings
January 7, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The head of the United Nations human rights office called Saturday for a prompt, transparent investigation into the deaths of at least 28 people whose bodies were found in northwest Burkina Faso last month.
Kenyan LGBTQ activist’s body found in metal box; 1 arrested
January 6, 2023 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan police investigated the death of an LGBTQ activist whose body was found stuffed in a metal box as human rights groups on Friday decried the killing and police announced one arrest.
Belarus opens trial of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bialiatski
January 6, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian court on Thursday opened the trial of jailed human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
Bialiatski and two other top figures of the Viasna human rights center he founded face up to 12 years in prison if convicted of financing anti-government protests.
Youngkin seeks probe of delayed awards at elite high school
January 3, 2023 GMTFALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Tuesday for an investigation of a prestigious high school, after some parents there said they were never notified of academic commendations awarded to their children.
In El Salvador, a tough anti-gang crackdown proves popular
December 27, 2022 GMTSAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Nine months into a state of emergency declared by President Nayib Bukele to fight street gangs, El Salvador has seen more than 1,000 documented human rights abuses and about 90 deaths of prisoners in custody.
China sanctions 2 US citizens over action on Tibet
December 23, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China has sanctioned two U.S. citizens in retaliation for action taken by Washington over human rights abuses in Tibet, the government said Friday, amid an ongoing standoff between the sides over Beijing's treatment of religious and ethnic minorities.
Argentina group IDs 131st baby stolen during dictatorship
December 22, 2022 GMTBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — DNA tests have confirmed that a man was taken from his mother as a baby during Argentina’s dictatorship, a human rights group said Thursday, increasing the number of this type of case to 131.
Rights body urges Belgium to better assist asylum-seekers
December 21, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — Europe’s top human rights body is urging Belgian authorities to provide better assistance to asylum-seekers after hundreds of people slept on Brussels streets in freezing temperature in recent weeks.
Russian crackdown targeting human rights group and maps
December 20, 2022 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — The Russian government intensified its crackdown on critics and what it sees as harmful information about its “special military operation” in Ukraine on Tuesday with moves to ban a human rights group and publication of maps that omit annexed Ukrainian land.
Beijing human rights activist immobilized by COVID-19 app
December 20, 2022 GMTTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Wang Yu, hailed by the U.S. as an International Woman of Courage, has already been arrested, imprisoned and harassed by the Chinese Communist Party for her work as a human rights lawyer representing activists, Uyghur scholars and Falun Gong practitioners.
More questions than answers as EU corruption scandal unfolds
December 17, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — No one answers the door or the phone at the offices of the two campaign groups linked to a cash-for-favors corruption scandal at the European Union’s parliament, allegedly involving Qatar.
US puts 3 dozen more Chinese companies on trade blacklist
December 16, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Commerce is adding 36 Chinese high-tech companies, including makers of aviation equipment, chemicals and computer chips, to an export controls blacklist, citing concerns over national security, U.S.
El Salvador congress extends gang crackdown yet again
December 15, 2022 GMTSAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The congress of El Salvador has voted to extend President Nayib Bukele’s emergency powers to crack down on gangs for yet another month.
The vote late Wednesday extends for the ninth time the measures, enacted after a surge in murders in March, and ensures they will last into 2023.
People of Ukraine handed EU’s top human rights prize
December 14, 2022 GMTSTRASBOURG, France (AP) — The people of Ukraine and their representatives were handed the European Union’s top human rights prize Wednesday for their resistance to Russia’s invasion and defiance during the ongoing war.
Barbados’ top court repeals laws that criminalize gay sex
December 13, 2022 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top court in Barbados has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalize gay sex, becoming the third nation in the conservative Caribbean region to do so this year.
The ruling issued Monday by the Barbados High Court is a pivotal moment for activists and nonprofit organizations who have long fought against such laws on the eastern Caribbean island, including one that demands up to a life sentence for gay men found guilty of having sex.
Philippines protesters decry alleged injustices under Marcos
December 10, 2022 GMTMANILA, Philippines (AP) — Hundreds of people marched in the Philippine capital on Saturday protesting what they said was a rising number of extrajudicial killings and other injustices under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Ukrainian Nobel Prize winner says Putin must face tribunal
December 9, 2022 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — A representative of one of the organizations sharing this year's Nobel Peace Prize said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin should face an international tribunal for the fighting in Ukraine.
UN rights chief: Protect ‘civic space’ for climate activists
December 9, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The top United Nations human rights official said Friday that it's important to protect the “civic space” for young environmental activists to highlight the urgency of tackling climate change.
UN rights chief to follow up on abuse concerns about China
December 9, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The top United Nations human rights official said Friday that his office will continue reaching out to Beijing about allegations of abuse in China.
Nobel laureate: No lasting peace in Ukraine without justice
December 8, 2022 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — There will be no lasting peace in Ukraine until there is justice and human rights, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties said Thursday as she arrived in Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize with fellow human rights campaigners from Belarus and Russia.
UN body accredits 9 rights, minority groups after US push
December 8, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — After years of delay, the U.N. body overseeing economic development and social issues voted Wednesday to give nine human rights and minority groups the right to raise concerns and participate in its discussions, overriding objections from Russia, China, India, Arab nations and others.