In The News

Defectors Launch Anti-NK Leaflets: Korea Herald

Ahn Sung-mi June 23, 2020
Both North Korea and South Korea agreed to stop cross-border distribution of goods and leaflet distribution since a 2018 summit between the two leaders. “A group of North Korean defectors claimed Tuesday it had sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border, continuing an activity that has enraged the North regime, which cited it as the reason it wrecked a liaison office with the South,” reports...

UNHRC to Debate Systemic Racism: AFP

June 15, 2020
Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the UN, Dieudonné Desiré Sougouri, wrote a letter for 54 African countries calling for “urgent debate” from the UN Human Rights Council on systemic racism, police brutality, human rights violations against people of African descent and the attacks against peaceful protesters. The UNHRC, after a disruption due to Covid-19, resumes its 43rd session today. “The call came...

Sanctions Against ICC Officials: Al Jazeera

June 12, 2020
Donald Trump authorized economic and travel sanctions against International Criminal Court officials investigating military and intelligence officials of the US and its allies for war crimes in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The United States rejects ICC jurisdiction over US personnel, and the United Nations, the European Union and human rights groups condemn the sanctions. “The Hague-based court was...

US Rivals Return Fire on Human Rights: Reuters

Cate Cadell, Humeyra Pamuk and Parisa Hafezi June 4, 2020
More than a week of protests over the death of a handcuffed man in police custody bring global scrutiny of US policies and racial relations, and “nations stung by American criticism over the years return fire and accuse Washington of double standards,” reports Reuters. China and Iran, criticized for human rights abuses by the US secretary of state, spoke out against police treatment of George...

Protests Grow Over US Man’s Death: Washington Post

William Booth and Loveday Morris May 31, 2020
When crisis hits a community, some police officers escalate tensions while others show skill in de-escalation. Protests, some peaceful and others violent riots, broke out after four Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd on May 25 for forgery, restraining him next to a police vehicle. With Floyd prone, one officer pressed a knee against the back of his neck for more than 8 minutes....

Battle Against the “Tsunami of Hate”: UN

António Guterres May 8, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has targeted vulnerable populations – initially striking cities while wielding disproportionate effect on nursing homes, prisons and other facilities where employees work in close quarters. These include US meat-processing facilities, often staffed with immigrant labor. Researchers suggest many of the deaths are due to disparities in health care, and the pandemic exposes...

Tolerance of Cellphone Monitoring: Washington Post

Kareem Fahim, Min Joo Kim and Steve Hendrix May 8, 2020
In a few months, tens of millions of people around the world in at least 27 countries went under surveillance from governments, private companies and researchers without consent in order to trace the spread and contain the Covid-19 virus. Some people tolerate surveillance, agreeing that such measures are necessary to avoid a nationwide lockdown. However, the measures provoke debate in Europe and...