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Recent Essays
- The Maduro Case and the Fractured Foundations of Immunity
When National Power Defies International Law On January 5, 2026, Nicolás Maduro stood in a Manhattan federal courtroom, flanked by U.S. marshals, and uttered four words that reverberated far beyond the walls of the courthouse: “I am still president.” The statement was not a boast—it was a legal assertion rooted in one of the oldest - Lex Fortioris in Practice
Throughout human history, the arc of domination has rarely bent toward justice—unless justice served the interests of the powerful. From the Assyrian Empire’s brutal vassalage systems to European colonial extraction, from the transatlantic slave trade to Cold War proxy interventions, dominant social groups, kingdoms, tribes, and nation-states have consistently leveraged their strength not to uphold - Judicial Independence and the Myth of the Benevolent State
The recent U.S. sanctions against two International Criminal Court (ICC) judges—Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia—offer a revealing case study in the contradictions that underpin much of the discourse on human rights and the rule of law. Ostensibly imposed to defend Israel’s sovereignty, the sanctions in practice constitute a direct assault on - From Conflict to Control: The Collapse of Afghanistan
Introduction In 2021, global audiences witnessed the unfolding of the events in Afghanistan through their television screens in the comfort of their homes. Images of men with dark beards and violent weapons dominated every phone, computer and television screen capturing the attention and concern of the international community. Headlines broadcasted words of despair such as, - A Systems-Thinking Approach to Digital Accessibility as a Human Right in Higher Education
Introduction The expansion of digital platforms for accessing public services has made equal digital access a practical and ethical necessity. In response, the 2024 ADA Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule mandates that state and local governments—as well as businesses and organizations that either do business with or receive funding from the federal
Human Rights News Collective
News Update…
- Human Rights and Politics--The Human Cost of Western Sanctions January 15, 2026In a landmark editorial published in The Lancet Global Health in August 2025, researchers led by Francisco Rodríguez delivered a sobering verdict on one of the most widely used tools of Western foreign policy: economic sanctions. Their analysis reveals that U.S. and European Union sanctions were associated with an estimated 564,258 excess deaths per year […]
- UN Experts Condemn “Unprecedented” US Military Aggression Against Venezuela January 9, 2026In a rare and forceful rebuke, a coalition of United Nations human rights experts has condemned what they describe as a large-scale military assault by the United States on Venezuela, including the bombing of Caracas and other cities, and the forcible abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.Calling the actions “a grave, manifest and […]
- Over 12,000 Palestinian children forcibly displaced amid Israeli raids on occupied West Bank January 6, 2026The UN agency UNRWA reports that more than 12,000 Palestinian children have been forcibly displaced in the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s repeated military operations. Since January 2025, Israel’s “Operation Iron Wall” has swept across northern West Bank cities and villages, including Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps, bringing homes and livelihoods to […]
- The Illusion of Liberation and the Fate of Political Prisoners in Syria December 22, 2025How Political Change in Syria Reveals the Hollow Promise of Human Rights RhetoricIn December 2024, as jubilant Syrians stormed the notorious prisons of the fallen Assad regime, many hoped they were witnessing the dawn of justice. Instead, they stumbled into a grim repetition: the same cells once filled with victims of Bashar al-Assad’s tyranny are […]
- ICC slams US sanctions on judges as assault on judicial independence December 19, 2025The International Criminal Court condemned recent US sanctions on two of its judges, calling the move a “flagrant attack” on the independence of an impartial judicial institution. The measures target Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia.In a statement, the ICC warned that threatening judges for carrying out their legal duties […]
- Bahrainis and Saudis lick their wounds as they mark Human Rights Day December 10, 2025Today marks the Human Rights Day. It is the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the UN in 1948 and is a reminder of the global pledge to uphold dignity, freedom and equality for all. People of Bahrain are marking it in their own ways, given the regime’s crackdown against the […]
- UN Committee Against Torture Condemns Israel’s “De Facto State Policy” of Organized Torture December 1, 2025In a landmark report issued on November 28, 2025, the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) delivered a scathing condemnation of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees, asserting that the country maintains a “de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture.” The findings come amid mounting international alarm over systemic human rights violations in the […]
- UN Committee Against Torture Censures Bahrain Over Systemic Use of Torture and Repression of Dissent November 26, 2025In its latest concluding observations released on November 28, 2025, the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) issued serious concerns regarding Bahrain’s persistent failure to uphold its obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT). The report paints a troubling picture of a justice system that not only tolerates but relies on confessions extracted through […]
- Testimony of freed Palestinian prisoners November 14, 2025Testimony of recently freed Palestinian captive Khaled Barakat from Sde Teiman prison camp, as documented by the Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Rights:– “I spent 130 days in the camp blindfolded, with my hands and feet shackled, and police dogs attacked us daily.” – “We were held in metal cages, each containing 130 detainees. We were monitored […]
- Gaza--Where the Dead Are in a Better Place Than the Living November 10, 2025Even if you were to ask any AI platform, not just an an average person in the Western world, whether Israel committed genocide in Gaza, the answer will likely equivocate. This isn't a reflection of the real world, but of the limitations inherent in AI algorithms and the data they are trained on. AI doesn't […]
- Netanyahu calls Palestinian prisoner abuse leak worst PR crisis in Israel's history November 2, 2025Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the leak of footage showing ostensible abuse of a Palestinian prisoner at Sde Teiman “caused enormous reputational damage to Israel, to the IDF, and to our soldiers.” “It is perhaps the most serious public-relations attack Israel has experienced since its founding — I cannot recall one so concentrated and intense,” […]
- France and Spain renew push to curb UN veto power October 31, 2025France and Spain have renewed calls to limit the use of veto powers at the UN Security Council, arguing the mechanism has repeatedly paralyzed global action in the face of humanitarian crises like Gaza. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the council must be restructured to reflect current geopolitical realities, advocating permanent seats for African […]
- UN rapporteur: Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian women has desensitized the world to atrocity October 31, 2025UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women Reem Alsalem has condemned Israel for what she described as the systematic killing and abuse of Palestinian women, warning that global inaction has made such atrocities appear acceptable.Speaking during a UN briefing on Palestinian rights, Alsalem said, “What happens in Palestine does not stay in Palestine,” stressing that […]
- More Bahrainis detained, Open letter to UNOCT on Saudi HR October 29, 2025The khalifi regime of Bahrain has continued arrests and detentions. Today its agents arrested Mohammed Al Singace from the heart of Manama. He was holding a small banner with his demand for work while standing peacefully to attract attention. He was handcuffed and treated as a criminal. AlSingacewas released later. His case is embarrassing the […]
- UN rapporteur says over 60 states complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza October 29, 2025UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese told the General Assembly that more than 60 countries are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.Presenting her report Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime from South Africa on 28 October, Albanese said those states have “fueled Israel’s genocidal machinery” by arming, funding, and shielding Tel Aviv […]
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