Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has strongly criticised the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating it is 'focussed more on exclusion' and has 'played havoc with democracy' by disturbing free and fair elections.
India has strongly rejected a UN expert's report claiming that Myanmar refugees in India faced pressure after the Pahalgam terror attack, calling the analysis biased and unfounded.
India strongly responded to Pakistan's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty at the UN Security Council, accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism and violating the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been sentenced to 17 years in prison each in the Toshakhana corruption case, involving alleged fraud related to state gifts.
The submission was made by the UN Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan; on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Clement Nyaletsossi Voule; and the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci.
Amid clamour for withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Kashmir, a UN Special Rapporteur on Friday urged India to repeal the controversial law that gives its military special powers to act in troubled areas.
The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns arrived on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Monday afternoon.
India abstained from a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution regarding Afghanistan, citing the need for a balanced approach that combines incentives and disincentives, and calling for new initiatives to address the humanitarian crisis.
'If there is one thing that I would request from the athletes all around the world, it would be it is time that we unite together. And it's time that women support other women.'
Notably, Moraes on August 29 had asked Elon Musk to appoint a legal representative for his social media platform X in Brazil within 24 hours or face the consequences of a nationwide suspension.
'...We should first look at and acknowledge what we have done to ourselves.' 'To not do so opens us to the accusation of rank hypocrisy and also reduces the stature of our globetrotting peaceniks,' asserts Aakar Patel.
"India risks becoming one of the world's main generators of instability, atrocities and violence because of the massive scale and gravity of the violations and abuses targeting mainly religious and other minorities such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others. It is not just individual or local, it is systematic and a reflection of religious nationalism," he said.
The National Human Rights Commission, in its report, also observed that the "pervasive fear of reprisal, coupled with the power dynamics at play, acted as a formidable barrier", preventing individuals from voicing their grievances.
Coming on the heels of two successful bilateral meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden -- the Official State Visit of the Indian leader here in June and a bilateral meeting in New Delhi in September -- USCIRF in its announcement of the meeting said the Congressional hearing is on how the US government can work with the Indian government to address violations.
'Why he wasn't released, and why he had to die in custody?'
India's permanent mission in Geneva, in a tweet, said advancing a "misleading narrative" only "tarnishes" the reputation of the UN mission.
Harassment of Muslim women in India through social media apps such as "Sulli Deals" must be condemned and prosecuted as soon as they occur, a UN Special Rapporteur has said.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday secured a record fourth straight term as her Awami League party won two-thirds of the seats in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition BNP and its allies.
An unofficial and brutal justice system exists parallel to the official one, and it executes many times more of the accused than the official one executes convicts, points out Aakar Patel.
Dr S Nambi Narayanan, the retired Indian Space Research Organisation scientist whose bio-pic the film is, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Callamard said her inquiry had "determined that there is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi Officials' individual liability, including the Crown Prince's".
A resolution commemorating the life of Indian human rights defender Father Stan Swamy and seeking an independent investigation into the death of the Jesuit priest has been introduced in the US Congress, Congressman Juan Vargas has said.
Bibhu Prasad Routray explains why the US is supporting Japan's resolve to release 'treated' radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean. And what role China plays in the US decision.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Margaret Sekaggya met members of the local civil society and various human rights activists in Srinagar on Wednesday evening. Margaret arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday afternoon on a two day visit to Kashmir to 'asses the human rights situation in the Valley'. This is the first visit of the UN special rapporteur on human rights to Kashmir Valley after the outbreak of militant violence in 1990.
Swamy died at the Holy Family Hospital, where he was admitted on May 29, in Mumbai on Monday, a day after he suffered a cardiac arrest and was put on ventilator support.
The UN on Friday called on Bangladesh to initiate steps for preventing violence against writers and activists, including providing physical protection to potential targets, in the wake of the killing of a secular blogger in the country.
Sorabjee had been honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 2002 for his defence of the freedom of expression and the protection of human rights.
The ministry of external affairs said India remains committed to the promotion and protection of the human rights of all its citizens and that the country's democratic polity is complemented by an independent judiciary and a range of national and state-level human rights commissions.
One unwanted fallout of Stan Swamy's death from the government's point of view will be the increased attention on those senior citizens who are still in jail on charges which are taking a long time to prove, believes Amulya Ganguli.
A new United Nations report says drone strikes have killed far more civilians than American officials have publicly acknowledged -- at least 400 in Pakistan and as many as 58 in Yemen -- and the world body has asked the United States to aid its investigation by disclosing the correct figures.
"We're aware that the lower and upper houses of the Indian Parliament have passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, and we're also aware of the concerns that have been publicly expressed. The United Nations is closely analysing the possible consequences of the law," Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said on Thursday during the daily press briefing.
There is "strong evidence" that top members of Pakistan's military, government and intelligence service gave their "active consent and approval" to CIA drone strikes in the country's lawless tribal areas between June 2004 and June 2008, according to a UN report.
'Stan's death is the culmination of a series of acts of abominable cruelty on the part of the Indian State.'
The United Nations special rapporteur on indigenous rights has said there is "entrenched" racism in Australia. James Anaya didn't pull any punches after his two-week visit of the country, saying the Rudd government should reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory "right away" because the intervention into remote Aboriginal communities is clearly discriminatory.
The United Nations has sought an explanation from Sri Lanka on the death of three top Tamil Tiger leaders after former Army chief Sarath Fonseka alleged that surrendering Tamil rebels were killed in cold blood.
A United Nations human rights investigator has recommended that international pressure be put on North Korea as part of a multi-pronged strategy to know the fate of hundreds of foreign nationals allegedly abducted by it.
Increased investment in agriculture, particularly in Africa, is necessary, but it must benefit those who are food insecure, stressed the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter.
Philip Alston, a United Nations human rights expert has said that the trial of six 'alien unlawful enemy combatants' at the Guantanamo Bay under the Military Commission Act fails to meet the basic due process standards required for a fair trial under international humanitarian and human rights law.
The new records for extreme lightning bursts, or 'megaflashes', during 2019, are more than double the size and duration of the previous record flashes.
Both Jehangir and Azad stressed the importance of the resumption of the India-Pakistan peace process and confidence-building measures, which had slowed down due to the internal situation in Pakistan. The two also discussed the post-election scenario in Pakistan and the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
