Human rights

European human rights court rules on Russian responsibility in eastern Ukraine

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) published an interim verdict ruling partially admissible Ukraine's allegations of Russia's human rights violations in eastern Ukraine, setting a precedent as the first international court to prove Russia's occupation in Donbas since 2014.

Socialist Bullmann to take over Parliament’s human rights committee

Veteran socialist MEP Udo Bullmann will become the European Parliament’s chief spokesperson on human rights as part of the fallout from the Qatargate scandal.

EU due diligence rules should include finance, Commissioner says

Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said the EU executive's goal is to include the financial sector under the EU rules on corporate accountability after it was carved out from mandatory due diligence by member states in their common negotiating position.

US toughens sanctions against Russia’s Wagner mercenary group

The United States on Thursday (26 January) stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labeling the Russian mercenary company fighting in Ukraine as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses.

UN: 2023 could see spike in human trafficking cases from Ukraine

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) predicts a 5% increase in detected Ukrainian human trafficking victims in 2023 and 5.6 million Ukrainian asylum applications in Europe, according to a new report.

Russia fires volley of missiles at Ukraine after Kyiv secures tanks

Russia sent Ukrainians racing for cover with a rush-hour missile barrage, killing at least one person, the day after Kyiv secured Western pledges of dozens of modern battlefield tanks to try to push back the Russian invasion.

Democracy in Equatorial Guinea is key to global fight against authoritarianism

The power struggle between authoritarian powers reached a new level of intensity with the invasion of Ukraine. But it is important to remember that this fight plays out across the entire globe and sometimes in unexpected places, Juan Carlos Ondo Angue writes.

Russia shuts down oldest rights group

A Moscow court on Wednesday (25 January) ordered the closure of Russia's oldest human rights organisation, the Moscow Helsinki Group, silencing another respected institution amid a political crackdown.

333 shades of evil

Each day of this ongoing war adds a shade of evil done by the Russian state and nation that decided to ruin the existing world order and rules of civilization, writes Roman Rukomeda.

Bulgarian socialist MEPs skip vote for special tribunal to punish Russian crimes

None of the five Bulgarian socialist MEPs took part in the vote on Thursday (19 January) on a resolution demanding the Russian political and military leadership be held accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Parliament urges EU to list Iran guards as ‘terrorist’

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (18 January) to urge Brussels to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards, also called Sepah or Pasdaran, as a terror group, amid mounting pressure on Western powers to do so.

US obtains exclusion of NGOs from drafting AI treaty

Civil society organisations have been excluded from the drafting process of the first international treaty on Artificial Intelligence based on a request of the US to avoid countries’ positions becoming public.

Russian strike on Dnipro a ‘war crime’: Swedish EU presidency

Russia's weekend strike on a residential block in Dnipro, which killed at least 40 people, constitutes a "war crime", EU presidency holder Sweden said on Monday (16 January).

EU summons Iran ambassador to voice outrage at executions

The EU summoned Iran's ambassador to the bloc on 9 January and told him it was appalled by the executions at the weekend of two Iranians arrested in the course of a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in the country.

Russian hackers targeted US nuclear scientists

A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts.

2023 will mark the end of old normality in Europe

The central question faced by Western democracies as the new year begins is how to stop the war in Ukraine and establish a new normality, as the old normality clearly no longer exists, writes Roman Rukomeda.

Romania detains ex-kickboxer Andrew Tate in human trafficking case

Romanian prosecutors said on Thursday (29 December) they have detained divisive internet personality and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.

Turkish court upholds Osman Kavala’s life sentence

A Turkish appellate court on Wednesday (28 December) upheld the conviction of a leading critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan whose jailing has added to tensions in Ankara's uneasy ties with the West.

‘It is the time to defeat Russia’

The war is likely to last one year or more, and it will end with the victory of Ukraine and the liberation of all occupied territory, the question being how will the war end and how will peace be organised after Russia's military defeat, writes Roman Rukomeda.

France slams Israel’s expulsion of French-Palestinian lawyer

French-Palestinian human rights lawyer Salah Hamouri, held without charge in Israeli prisons since March accused of security offences, arrived in Paris on Sunday (18 December) following his expulsion from Israel condemned by Paris.

Russia launches widespread missile attack on Ukraine

Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles on Friday (16 December), hammering energy facilities and knocking out power as people took cover in shelters across the country, Ukrainian officials said.

EU parliament votes to recognise ‘Holodomor’ famine as genocide

A motion to recognise Holodomor, the 1930s Great Famine in Soviet Ukraine, as genocide found broad support in the European Parliament on Thursday (15 December), with many drawing parallels to Russia’s current war in the country.

‘Only punishment of the crimes will restore international order and peace’

Only by instituting a special international tribunal on Russia and its crimes in Ukraine the evil will not have the opportunity to return in the near future, writes Roman Rukomeda.

Strong equality bodies for effective equality enforcement

Current EU equality rules require establishing national equality bodies in all EU member states, writes Helena Dalli. Helena Dalli is the EU Commissioner for Equality, strengthening Europe’s commitment to inclusion and equality and leading the fight against discrimination. These institutions...