human

Somalia’s Parliament Approves Long-Awaited Human Rights Commission, Signaling a New Chapter for Accountability Mogadishu — Somalia’s Federal Parliament on Saturday approved the country’s first independent Human Rights Commission, a long-promised institution meant to investigate abuses, advise government, and help align the nation’s laws with international standards after decades of conflict and fragile governance. The vote, taken in a packed session chaired by the Speaker, passed overwhelmingly: 142 lawmakers voted in…

Somalia’s fragile human-rights transition meets a test on press freedom GENEVA — In a packed room at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Somali and British officials yesterday set out an upbeat case that Somalia is inching toward stronger national institutions. But the event’s most urgent testimony came from civil society: a warning that progress on paper is being undermined by a resurgent and more sophisticated campaign to silence journalists. The UK and Somalia jointly hosted the side event during the council’s 60th…

Kenya police rescue 22 people allegedly being trafficked to Russia to fight in Ukraine NAIROBI — Kenyan police on Wednesday freed 22 people they say were awaiting processing to travel to Russia under promises of legitimate jobs — a recruitment drive investigators allege was a front to send recruits to fight in Ukraine. Raid in Athi River uncovers recruitment materials and travel documents Officers carried out an intelligence-led operation at an apartment complex on the outskirts of Nairobi, in the industrial town of Athi…

Somalia’s arrest of a European national exposes how diaspora, weak states and new tech collide in human trafficking MOGADISHU — Somali authorities this month detained a European national of Somali origin in an operation that underscores how transnational trafficking networks exploit fractured governance, diasporic ties and young people’s drive to leave. The arrest — flagged after travel documents showed irregularities during screening — was swiftly handed to the Criminal Investigations Department, officials said, and it has…

Zimbabwe’s Human Rights Report: A Pattern of Violence, State Complicity and Vulnerable Lives When the Zimbabwe Peace Project released a terse but damning account this week documenting more than 3,000 victims of rights abuses in a single month, it read like a catalogue of a nation trapped between political control and social distress. The group documented at least 121 distinct incidents in August, finding that women and people with disabilities were disproportionately affected. Nearly half of the violations, the report says,…

Zimbabwe's Human Rights Struggles: A Deepening Crisis As Zimbabwe approaches a pivotal moment in its political landscape, a recent report by the U.S. Department of State has cast a stark light on the country’s ongoing struggles with human rights. The grim findings reveal a pattern of severe violations that has yet to see meaningful accountability from President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration, raising urgent questions about the future of democracy in this Southern African nation. Violations Beyond the Headlines The…

Back in 1965, a woman from Norway gave birth to a baby girl at a private hospital. Just a week later, she brought her little bundle of joy home, blissfully unaware of the life-altering mix-up that had occurred during her stay. As time went on, the child's dark curls set her apart from her mother, leading Karen Rafteseth Dokken to speculate that her little one had inherited traits from her husband's mother. It wasn't until nearly sixty years later that the shocking truth emerged: her biological daughter had been switched at…

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has taken a dim view of the Burkina Faso government’s recent submission to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, highlighting its glaring omissions regarding human rights abuses. Various organizations advocating for human dignity have urgently appealed for enhanced protections for civilians amidst the ongoing armed struggles. They emphasize the necessity of lifting restrictions placed on journalists, dissenters, and political opponents, while also demanding that those responsible for…

In a significant gathering at the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 26, 2024, in Geneva, delegates from various nations convened to deliberate on pressing global human rights dilemmas. Amidst this backdrop, Kenya's election to the council for the 2025–2027 tenure stirred the pot, faced with heavy criticisms from civil society groups due to alleged human rights transgressions. Photo by Janine Schmitz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images NAIROBI, Kenya (AX) — Kenya's leap onto the United Nations Human Rights Council…

 Simon Manley, the UK's envoy, and Somalia's Ambassador Khadra Ahmed Dualeh engage in a lively discourse at a Geneva gathering of the United Nations Human Rights Council.Mogadishu (AX) — A collaborative proposition has been tabled by the United Kingdom and Somalia during Thursday's United Nations Human Rights Council meet. Their joint initiative seeks to extend technical support for advancing Somalia’s human rights endeavors and to renew the role of the Independent Expert on Somalia.Simon Manley, representing the UK at the…