June 11, 2019 Botswana decriminalizes homosexuality in landmark ruling Botswana on Tuesday decriminalized homosexuality in a landmark decision by the nation's High Court on Tuesday.
June 7, 2019 Iraq handing out thousands of death sentences in hasty trials for ISIS fighters As the dust from the years of ISIS occupation settles in a still damaged and bleeding Iraq, Baghdad has sentenced thousands of convicted Iraqi nationals and foreign fighters accused of membership to the brutal terrorist group to the gallows. But swift trials and shadowy evidence has many international watchdogs concerned that the quest for swift justice is not only in violation of human rights law and due process, but will serve as a precursor to further violence among factions in the near future.
May 6, 2019 Inside the secret lives of transgender refugee sex workers in Pakistan It’s a dark underworld rarely brought to light in discussions of human rights and refugees. But there is a growing pool of refugees in Pakistan – those who have fled oppression in neighboring Afghanistan and Bangladesh – who identify as transgender, and have nowhere to go but hide by day and take up sex work by night.
May 1, 2019 Iran flogged and executed two teenagers guilty of rape without notifying family, Amnesty reports Under the cloak of secrecy seemingly to avoid international outrage, Iranian authorities have flogged and executed two teenage boys without notifying their family or lawyers – a flagrant violation of international human rights.
April 19, 2019 Iranian girls being forced into child marriage at record rate: report An unprecedented number of Iranian girls were forced into marriage in Iran over the past year, according to a Radio Farda report.
April 4, 2019 Jailed Iranian musician rebuffs regime's ban by releasing album about war and oppression Mehdi Rajabian, 29, is on temporary bail from the brutality that lurks behind the walls of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison – but he wants the world to know the oppression and fear he and many more face at every moment under the iron thumb of the regime. His crime? A childhood love of music.
April 2, 2019 Brunei's crackdown on homosexuality: Why Kingdom is implementing draconian Sharia law In an age when global awareness in decriminalizing homosexuality is gaining momentum, the excessively wealthy, Muslim-majority nation of Brunei is going in the opposite direction. On Wednesday, it will officially apply the final stages of its harsh interpretation of the Islamic Penal Code known as Sharia Law.
March 30, 2019 Bill Maher and guest slam George Clooney over call for Beverly Hills Hotel boycott: 'It's chickensh-- tokenism' “Real Time” host Bill Maher and a guest went after George Clooney on Friday night over the actor’s call this week for a boycott of swanky hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei in response to that country's anti-gay policies under Sharia Law.
March 29, 2019 Beverly Hills Hotel braces for fresh celebrity boycott after George Clooney criticizes Sultan of Brunei owner for Sharia Law It has been almost five years since the infamous celebrity boycott of the storied Beverly Hills Hotel came and went, after it was revealed that its owner – the Sultan of Brunei – had decided to implement a harsh interpretation of the Islamic Penal Code known as Sharia Law. But the sleeping giant awoke again this week.
March 29, 2019 Saudis release three women's rights activists from jail temporarily amid international pressure Three Saudi women who have been jailed nearly a year for their activism and for speaking to foreign journalists were granted temporary release Thursday.