United Nations
EU Parliament Prepares Human Rights Debate and Votes
Strasbourg, France / Brussels, Belgium (HRNW) — European lawmakers are set to debate and vote this week on a comprehensive report assessing global backsliding in human rights and democracy during 2025. The report, slated for discussion in plenary sessions, calls for stronger EU action on human rights protections, deeper integration of rights metrics into trade and…
UN Expert Condemns Excessive Use of Lethal Force
United States (HRNW) — A United Nations human rights expert has expressed serious concern about what he calls excessive and unlawful use of lethal force by U.S. security forces, both domestically and in extraterritorial operations. The expert highlighted incidents where force appeared disproportionate and outside legal human rights standards, calling on the U.S. government to review…
UN Finds Australia Violated Anti-Torture Laws
Canberra, Australia (HRNW) — A UN human rights panel has ruled that Australia violated international law by detaining an Iranian asylum seeker in torturous conditions on Manus Island. The committee found that prolonged detention without hope of release caused severe mental and physical harm. The decision calls for reparations and an end to offshore detention, a…
UN Court Hears Rohingya Genocide Case
The Hague, Netherlands (HRNW) — The International Court of Justice in The Hague has opened hearings in the long-awaited case accusing Myanmar’s military of genocide against the Rohingya people.Survivors and advocacy groups have called the proceedings a “historic moment for justice,” though accountability remains uncertain as the junta continues its grip on power.International NGOs are…
Australia: Prolonged Detention and Torture Rulings
Canberra, Australia (HRNW) A UN committee has found that Australia’s offshore and prolonged detention policies exposed an Iranian asylum seeker to conditions amounting to torture. The ruling puts fresh pressure on the Australian government to reform its immigration detention system, which continues to be a focal point of international condemnation for violating the basic rights…
UN Finds Breach of Torture Convention
Canberra, Australia (HRNW)– In a landmark ruling, the UN Committee against Torture has found Australia in breach of international obligations. The ruling concerns the prolonged offshore detention of an Iranian asylum seeker, stating that the cumulative impact of harsh conditions and lack of medical care amounted to cruel and inhuman treatment. Australia has been directed to…
UN Scrutinizes European Rights Records
Geneva, Europe (HRNW)- The UN Human Rights Council has announced that Austria will be among the nations reviewed during the 51st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) starting next week. Concurrently, a UN Special Rapporteur is scheduled to visit the European Union to investigate the treatment of minority groups and the impact of externalized migration…
UNICEF Reports Over 100 Children Killed in Gaza Since October Ceasefire as Winter Storms Mount
GAZA CITY – United Nations children’s agency UNICEF has revealed that at least 100 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the three months since a ceasefire began in early October 2025. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, speaking from Geneva, stated that the confirmed fatalities include 60 boys and 40 girls, largely due to…