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A UN expert warned on Tuesday that policies on border protection and migration cannot nullify the absolute ban on returning a person to torture as set out in international law.

UN experts condemned on Wednesday the sentencing of Pakistani human rights defender Mahrang Baloch to two terms of life imprisonment by a court in Quetta, Pakistan, describing the verdict as a “travesty” of justice.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Tuesday called on states and sports organizations to prevent racism and other forms of discrimination following racist remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappé made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla.

The United Nations on Thursday renewed its call for full freedom of movement for peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, warning that restrictions on UNIFIL’s (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) operations could undermine efforts to monitor one of the region’s most fragile security zones. The appeal comes as UN peacekeepers continue tracking developments along the Israel-Lebanon border, where hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have displaced civilians and kept humanitarian needs high.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the UK Home Office on Friday to abandon its 2027 plans to use facial age estimation (FAE) AI to assess young asylum seekers, warning that the technology risks discriminatory errors and sets a dangerous global precedent for migration policy.

The International Court of Justice opined Thursday that an international labor treaty protects the right to strike. The advisory opinion provides clarity to the treaty provisions, particularly the scope of the right to association at international law.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that it will resume the federal use of capital punishment and that it is seeking death sentences against 44 defendants. DOJ also said that it will use firing squads, electrocution, or nitrogen asphyxiation if the drug used in lethal injection is unavailable.

The EU is Israel’s top trade partner. Through the EU–Israel Association Agreement, Israel gains preferential access to European markets and “tariff-free entry of key agricultural products.”

UN experts warned Tuesday that proposed French legislation to target antisemitism, nicknamed the PPL Yadan Bill, could jeopardize freedom of expression.

A federal judge on Tuesday paused Louisiana’s bid to reinstate stricter dispensing rules for the abortion pill mifepristone, staying the case while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts an ongoing review of the drug’s safety.

The UN special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants commended on Monday Brazil’s migration framework for providing strong protections for refugees and asylum seekers, equally guaranteeing fundamental human rights irrespective nationality, while urging further action to ensure that practices fully align with international human rights standards.

UN experts on Friday welcomed Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s ratification of the 1989 International Convention against Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. The experts praised the signing of the new anti-mercenary legislation, calling it an essential step toward protecting human rights and upholding international legal obligations.

Nepal police on Saturday arrested former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak at their respective homes in Bhaktapur.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Thursday for a Tanzanian government commission to investigate the crackdowns on protests surrounding the 2025 elections where security forces reportedly killed or injured both protestors and bystanders.

The UN confirmed Thursday the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (the Commission) regarding the deportation and transfer of 1,205 children from Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine.

Prominent Iraqi women’s rights defender Yanar Mohammed was killed outside her Baghdad residence on March 2 by two unidentified men. No group has claimed responsibility for the assassination.

UN experts on Friday raised the alarm after Israel issued an evacuation warning for more than 100 villages in Southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. More than 700,000 people, including 200,000 children, have been forced to flee their homes under the threat of Israeli bombardment.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Thursday that Germany’s proposed amendment to the basic income program for job seekers would undermine fundamental human rights and violate the country’s constitution, urging parliament to reject the bill.

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is set to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a crucial pre-trial hearing next week, a milestone in the long-running international case alleging crimes against humanity linked to Duterte’s administration’s controversial “war on drugs.” The hearing, which will take place from February 23 to 27, has been called a “crucial opportunity for justice” by human rights watchdog Amnesty International.

The Taliban has quietly enacted a new penal code that allows husbands to physically punish their wives and children as long as it doesn’t cause broken bones or open wounds.

The Nigerian Enugu High Court ruled Thursday that the former British colonial administration was liable for a 1949 mining incident that caused 21 deaths.

A judge in Maricopa County Superior Court ordered Friday that the state must stop enforcing laws that predate Arizona’s Right to Abortion constitutional amendment.

A US federal judge in Minnesota on Saturday refused to halt the Trump administration’s surging immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities, denying a request by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul for preliminary injunctive relief.​​

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration for a second time from enforcing a policy requiring members of Congress to give seven days’ notice before visiting immigration detention facilities, finding the government’s revised restriction still likely violates federal law.

The Federal Court of Appeal of Canada on Friday ruled that the Canadian federal government’s 2022 invocation of the Emergencies Act was “unreasonable” and beyond the government’s legal authority. The ruling affirms the 2024 Federal Court decision by Justice Richard Mosley, who concluded the statutory threshold for declaring a public order emergency was not met.