Human Rights

Syria Systematically Torturing, Killing Children, UN Says

March 28, 2012, 4:51 pm

Syria is detaining and torturing children systematically during its crackdown on dissent, said Navi Pillay, the head of the United Nations human rights agency.

Chinese Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Alive

March 27, 2012, 11:57 pm

Gao Zhisheng, the famous Chinese human rights lawyer now jailed in the remote Western region of Xinjiang, was allowed an inaugural jail visit by his brother and his wife’s [...]

Worldwide Executions Rose in 2011, Report Says

March 27, 2012, 6:54 pm

Amnesty International said on Tuesday that there was an upswing in state-mandated executions 2011.

Pope: Cuba Should Build ‘Open Society’

March 27, 2012, 3:42 pm

Cuba should “strive to build a renewed and open society, a better society, one more worthy of humanity.”

Dissidents Put Little Hope in Pope’s Visit to Cuba

March 27, 2012, 12:57 am

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Cuba on Monday; the first time a pontiff has done so since Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1997.

Reflecting on Human Rights on Eve of Charter’s Birth

March 21, 2012, 7:53 pm

March 21 marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. To the innocent ear, this United Nations commemoration may sound sterile, even awkward.

Zimbabwe Activists Fined for Showing Arab Spring Video

March 21, 2012, 3:44 pm

Zimbabwe fined six activists $500 and forced them to do 420 hours of community service for discussing the Arab Spring uprisings.

Burmese Army ‘Committing Unchecked Abuses’ in Kachin State

March 20, 2012, 8:21 pm

A prominent human rights group said fighting in northern Kachin State has led to serious abuses, including rape, torture, and executions.

Appeal to Treat the Global Financial Crisis as Human Rights Crisis

March 15, 2012, 2:49 am

The financial crisis is victimizing innocent people around the globe. Global action is needed.

Congolese Militia Leader Convicted in Landmark ICC Ruling

March 15, 2012, 12:31 am

In the first verdict ever delivered by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was found guilty of conscripting and enlisting [...]