From Amnesty International:   A near total communication blackout in Sudan following all network and internet shutdowns in early February poses serious risks to the coordination of emergency assistance and humanitarian services to millions of people caught up in the conflict, Amnesty International said today. The continued shutdown has limited millions of people’s ability to communicate with their families,[Read More…]

  On March 7, 2024, the Kingdom of Sweden formally entered the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), with Sweden presenting United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken the “Instruments of Accession”. From Byjus.com: An instrument of accession is a formal document that acknowledges a state’s consent to an existing treaty. It is exchanged with the treaty parties or deposited[Read More…]

    Religious Leaders Officiate at Weddings in Violation of Iraqi Law  Religious leaders in Iraq conduct thousands of marriages each year, including child marriages, that flout Iraqi laws and are not officially registered. These marriages create a loophole around legal restrictions on child marriage and have disastrous effects on women and girls’ ability to get government services, register their[Read More…]

    From The Office of the Spokesperson-US Department of State Following Russia’s two years of unprovoked full-scale war, the death of opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny, and a decade of aggression against Ukraine, the United States is sanctioning more than 500 individuals and entities in Russia and globally. There is a clear link between Russia’s authoritarianism, its[Read More…]

Under Secretary Zeya’s Travel to Jamaica and Belize 02/16/2024 Media Note Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya will travel to Kingston, Jamaica, and Belmopan, Belize from February 19-23, 2024, to advance bilateral and regional cooperation on civilian security, migration, and human rights. In Kingston, Under Secretary Zeya will underscore the strength of the U.S.-Jamaica partnership and meet with[Read More…]

  Statement from Human Rights Watch:   The Kremlin bears responsibility for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death in prison, Human Rights Watch said today. Russia’s state prison service said in a public statement on February 16, 2024 that Navalny had lost consciousness and could not be resuscitated.“For more than a decade the Kremlin persecuted, imprisoned, and tormented Navalny,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director at[Read More…]