How will US withdrawals from international bodies affect human rights worldwide CategoriesAdvocacy

How will US withdrawals from international bodies affect human rights worldwide?

The Trump administration’s announcement that the United States is withdrawing from 66 international organizations, conventions, and treaties has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups, who describe the move as a direct attack on the global system of cooperation. Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, called the decision […]

Are protests in Iran being met with unlawful lethal force CategoriesAdvocacy

Are protests in Iran being met with unlawful lethal force?

Iranian authorities have unleashed a violent crackdown on nationwide protests since December 28, 2025, marked by unlawful use of firearms, beatings, and mass arbitrary arrests, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported. Security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s police force (FARAJA), have used rifles, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, water […]

Are human rights being crushed by new UK protest restrictions CategoriesAdvocacy

Are human rights being crushed by new UK protest restrictions?

The protest right in England and Wales is under unprecedented attack, say two major reports that point to new and existing laws which are systematically destroying basic rights and criminalizing peaceful protest. According to Human Rights Watch and legal reform organization Justice, new laws have produced a chilling effect on peaceful protest, and new restrictions […]

Why are Chinese authorities detaining members of underground churches again CategoriesAdvocacy

Why are Chinese authorities detaining members of underground churches again?

At least six members of the underground Protestant church have been detained by Chinese authorities in Chengdu in the province of Sichuan, Human Rights Watch revealed. Furthermore, the detainees are only the latest in a widespread pattern of human rights abuses stemming from the detention of prominent “house churches” in China. The crackdown reflects the […]

UN report exposes Israel's apartheid, asphyxiation of Palestinians in West Bank CategoriesAdvocacy

UN report exposes Israel’s apartheid, asphyxiation of Palestinians in West Bank

A broad-ranging report published today by the UN Human Rights Office outlines the suffocating impact of Israel’s laws, policies and practices on every area of life for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. The report states that Israel is in violation of international law that obliges States to prevent and […]

Uganda elections overshadowed by allegations of torture and unlawful killings CategoriesAdvocacy

Uganda elections overshadowed by allegations of torture and unlawful killings

A growing list of human rights abuses is unfolding for the Republic of Uganda as security forces have been implicated in a well-planned assault of violence, threats, as well as arbitrary arrests against supporters of the main opposition political parties prior to the national elections. Violations of international law have serious implications for freedoms at […]

Human rights alarm as Iranian forces shoot dead three children during protests CategoriesAdvocacy

Human rights alarm as Iranian forces shoot dead three children during protests

The Iranian government’s security forces have escalated their brutal suppression of anti-government rallies in the country, leaving at least three minors dead after they were shot by the security operatives. This comes at a time when serious human right abuses are taking place in Iran following the widespread anti-government protests that have engulfed the entire […]

Are Iranian authorities violating human rights in rural protests CategoriesAdvocacy

Are Iranian authorities violating human rights in rural protests?

The wave of protests that erupted because of Iran’s ailing economy has spilled over into the provinces in rural Iran, where people are protesting inflation, depreciating currency, and just general living conditions. In the process, at least seven deaths have resulted, according to government reports. These protests reflect growing discontent with the theocratic regime that […]

US strike and capture of President Maduro raise human rights concerns CategoriesAdvocacy

US strike and capture of President Maduro raise human rights concerns

The military intervention carried out by the U.S. in Venezuela, which resulted in the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro and Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores, has raised numerous concerns regarding human rights and legality. According to experts, this intervention most probably violates the UN Charter, as it has been carried out with clear intentions by […]

How Israel’s proposed death penalty for Palestinian violates international law CategoriesAdvocacy

How Israel’s proposed death penalty for Palestinian violates international law

The head of the United Nations’ human rights office on Friday called on Israeli authorities to drop plans to introduce any law prescribing mandatory deaths only to Palestinian citizens. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned of violations of international laws and international standards on human rights. “When it comes to the death […]

Church files lawsuit seeking return of assets seized in human trafficking case CategoriesHuman Trafficking

Church files lawsuit seeking return of assets seized in human trafficking case

The Kingdom of God Global Church, previously Joshua Media Ministries International, stands at the epicenter of a federal investigation into forced labor, human trafficking, and money laundering, with leaders David Taylor and Michelle Brannon facing indictments. In a bold countermove, the church initiated a lawsuit demanding the return of seized assets millions in cash, gold, […]

California enacts new law targeting demand behind sex trafficking CategoriesHuman Trafficking

California enacts new law targeting demand behind sex trafficking

California’s Assembly Bill 379 (AB 379), set to take effect on January 1, 2026, represents a significant legislative pivot in the state’s battle against sex trafficking by emphasizing demand reduction strategies. Sponsored by Assemblymember Chris Ward and championed by figures like San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and District Attorney Summer Stephan, the law amends Penal […]

Lawmakers raise war crime concerns over boat strike report CategoriesWar Crimes

Lawmakers raise war crime concerns over boat strike report

Lawmakers across the political spectrum have expressed grave concerns over a reported US military follow-up strike on survivors from an initial boat attack in the Caribbean, with explicit warnings of potential war crimes. The September 2, 2025, incident, part of President Trump’s aggressive anti-drug trafficking campaign dubbed Operation Southern Spear, involved an initial strike on […]

Indonesia media groups warn of press freedom erosion CategoriesMedia Censorship

Indonesia media groups warn of press freedom erosion

The Sumatra floods of late 2025, one of Indonesia’s deadliest disasters, not only caused immense human suffering but also sparked a controversy over media censorship that has deeply concerned press freedom advocates. Multiple news outlets removed content detailing the floods’ aftermath and government response failures, while officials publicly cautioned against reporting “shortcomings,” raising alarms about […]

US AML and sanctions enforcement fines fall sharply in 2025 CategoriesAnti Money Laundering

US AML and sanctions enforcement fines fall sharply in 2025

American regulators collected 61% less in money laundering and sanctions breach fines in 2025 compared to 2024, marking a significant policy pivot under President Donald Trump’s second term. This drop, from $4.3 billion to approximately $1.7 billion, contrasts with surging global enforcement and prompts analysis of enforcement trends, political influences, and broader economic ramifications. Detailed […]

Treasury postpones adviser anti money laundering regulations by two years CategoriesAnti Money Laundering

Treasury postpones adviser anti money laundering regulations by two years

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced its intention to delay the effective date of the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Program and Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) Filing Requirements for Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) and Exempt Reporting Advisers (ERAs), known as the IA AML Rule, from January 1, […]

Why are Israeli forces demolishing Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank CategoriesAdvocacy

Why are Israeli forces demolishing Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank?

The Israeli Defense Forces have also begun the process of destroying residential buildings where Palestinians have sought refuge in the occupied West Bank. This is happening despite the breach of humanitarian law. The Israeli military has also begun destroying buildings where Palestinians have taken refuge in the West Bank’s occupied areas because the winter season […]

Court remands Bauchi Finance Commissioner over terror financing charges CategoriesTerror Financing

Court remands Bauchi Finance Commissioner over terror financing charges

The Federal High Court in Abuja remanded Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance Yakubu Adamu and three co-defendants in prison custody on December 31, 2025, following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of terrorism financing and money laundering involving approximately $9.7 million. Justice Emeka Nwite presided over the case, marked […]

South Korea fines Crypto exchange Korbit for AML violations CategoriesAnti Money Laundering

South Korea fines Crypto exchange Korbit for AML violations

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC), through its Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), imposed a 2.73 billion won ($1.9 million) fine on cryptocurrency exchange Korbit for multiple breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. The penalties, announced on December 31, 2025, followed an on-site inspection conducted from October 16 to 29, 2024, which uncovered systemic compliance […]

Israel bans NGOs in Gaza as winter deepens humanitarian crisis CategoriesAdvocacy

Israel bans NGOs in Gaza as winter deepens humanitarian crisis

Israel has announced it will suspend the operations of dozens of humanitarian organisations in Gaza within 36 hours for allegedly failing to meet stringent requirements to share personal details of Palestinian and international staff. The organizations which will be impacted by these changes include some of the most well-known organizations across the world, such as […]

Myanmar’s sham vote held under repression and martial law CategoriesAdvocacy

Myanmar’s sham vote held under repression and martial law

The military-organized elections that took place in Myanmar on December 29, 2025, have been widely condemned as being illegitimate. The nation continues to rebuild after enduring multiple years of organized oppression, together with a brutal military coup.  Human rights organizations maintain that the election fails to meet basic international voting standards because it took place […]

Canada’s anti-hate bill raises alarms over civil liberties CategoriesAdvocacy

Canada’s anti-hate bill raises alarms over civil liberties

The Liberal government introduced Bill C-9 to address rising hate crimes, but civil society organizations now express growing alarm about its contents. The new law threatens to destroy established religious speech protections, free expression rights, and peaceful demonstration rights, according to their warning.  The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) leads the opposition against the […]

Israeli strikes kill 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza CategoriesAdvocacy

Israeli strikes kill 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza

Israel has killed at least 706 relatives of Palestinian journalists since the start of its war on Gaza in October 2023, according to a new report by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, which accuses Israeli forces of deliberately targeting journalists’ families as part of a broader campaign to suppress independent reporting. In a report released late […]

South Korea’s foreign adoption system A long-ignored human rights failure CategoriesAdvocacy

South Korea’s foreign adoption system: A long-ignored human rights failure

South Korea’s decision to phase out foreign adoptions by 2029 marks a historic turning point in a system that for decades operated with minimal oversight and devastating human consequences.  While the government has framed the move as part of child welfare reform, United Nations investigators and adoptee advocates argue that the deeper human rights violations […]

UN experts warns climate change has become a human rights crisis CategoriesAdvocacy

UN experts warns climate change has become a human rights crisis

The current state of climate change has progressed past its initial classification as an environmental and scientific issue. The situation has developed into a complete human rights emergency which threatens both human survival, national stability, and economic stability, according to leading climate experts and high-ranking UN officials.  The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker […]

Iran’s use of executions against women exposes systemic gender repression CategoriesAdvocacy

Iran’s use of executions against women exposes systemic gender repression

The case of Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer and women’s rights activist sentenced to death in Iran, has become a stark symbol of the Islamic Republic’s deepening human rights crisis.  As United Nations experts and more than 400 prominent women worldwide urge Tehran to halt her execution, Tabari’s ordeal exposes not only systemic violations […]

Beyond “War Crimes”: How International Law Sees the US Drug‑Boat Campaign? CategoriesWar Crimes

Beyond “War Crimes”: How International Law Sees the US Drug‑Boat Campaign?

The United States’ 2025 drug-boat campaign has unfolded largely in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific, targeting small vessels suspected of narcotics trafficking. These operations have taken place far from conventional battlefields and without a declared war or acknowledged non-international armed conflict. By mid-December 2025, publicly available reporting suggested that dozens of vessels had […]

Free Speech at the Scroll: What a Louisiana Blocking Case Means for Constituents? CategoriesMedia Censorship

Free Speech at the Scroll: What a Louisiana Blocking Case Means for Constituents?

The case of Detiege v. Jackson emerges from a conflict that reflects how political engagement has migrated from physical spaces into digital environments. Louisiana state senator Katrina Jackson blocked constituent Maya Detiege from her social media account after Detiege posted repeated criticisms of Jackson’s policy positions and legislative conduct. The account was not a dormant […]

Aid Blocked at the Frontlines: The Growing Crisis of Humanitarian Restrictions in Modern Wars CategoriesBriefs

Aid Blocked at the Frontlines: The Growing Crisis of Humanitarian Restrictions in Modern Wars

Access barriers to life-saving help still exist due to severe limitations on humanitarian activity in active war zones by governments as well as armed forces. These limitations are manifested in the form of border closures, protracted permission procedures, and increased surveillance rates, which slows down or impedes the delivery of relief supplies. In 2025, Houthi […]

Nigeria’s ransom economy: How kidnapping bankrolls terror and erodes state authority? CategoriesTerror Financing

Nigeria’s ransom economy: How kidnapping bankrolls terror and erodes state authority?

Nigeria’s ransom economy has become one of the most visible indicators of the country’s widening security crisis in 2025. What once appeared as isolated banditry has transformed into a structured market shaped by data, negotiation patterns and clear regional specialisation. The model now intersects with organised crime, terror financing and the erosion of formal state […]

Wisconsin’s Mandatory Minimums: Help for Trafficking Survivors or Expansion of Prisons? CategoriesHuman Trafficking

Wisconsin’s Mandatory Minimums: Help for Trafficking Survivors or Expansion of Prisons?

The introduction of mandatory minimum sentences in human trafficking and child trafficking in Wisconsin also indicates a punitive turn over shift in the criminal justice model of the state. The new law takes trafficking to superior levels of the felony and sets mandatory minimums of 10 and 15 years in cases of adult and child […]

BIBF-BENEFIT AML Pivot: Digital Shield for Bahrain's Financial Hub Ambitions CategoriesAnti Money Laundering

BIBF-BENEFIT AML Pivot: Digital Shield for Bahrain’s Financial Hub Ambitions

The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance partnered with BENEFIT Company on 9 December 2025 to introduce a specialised e-learning programme targeting Anti-Money Laundering, Countering Financing of Terrorism, and Countering Proliferation Financing. The initiative is priced at BD 25 exclusive of VAT and provides three months of access from enrollment. Participants complete thirty multiple-choice questions […]

Afghanistan: Gender Apartheid and the Fight for Women’s Rights Under Taliban Rule Categoriesanalysis

Afghanistan: Gender Apartheid and the Fight for Women’s Rights Under Taliban Rule

Afghanistan gender apartheid intensified at the end of 2025 when the Taliban tightened their grip on the participation of women in humanitarian and civilian activities. Since September 7, security forces have refused to allow Afghanistan women national staff and contractors to enter all United Nations compounds. At facilities in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif, the enforcement […]

Severe restrictions on humanitarian operations in active war zones Categoriesanalysis

Severe restrictions on humanitarian operations in active war zones

The harsh limitations to humanitarian activity in active war zones in 2025 indicate the expanding disconnect of the international obligations to humanitarian law and the reality of people trapped in conflict. Aid agencies working in Gaza, the western corridor in Sudan, and northern Myanmar report an increasing number of hindrances including bureaucratic delay to intentional […]

UCF's Campus Crusade: How Student-Led Awareness Challenges Florida's Trafficking Epidemic? CategoriesHuman Trafficking

UCF’s Campus Crusade: How Student-Led Awareness Challenges Florida’s Trafficking Epidemic?

Florida is currently among the most vulnerable states in the United States regarding human trafficking, and the annual statistics of reported cases, as well as deeply rooted weaknesses, are associated with its economy, which greatly depends on tourism. Records of the state indicate almost 2,100 reported cases in 2023, which is not the first case […]

Damascus Dossier Leaks: Syrian War Criminals Face Belgian Reckoning CategoriesAnti Money Laundering

Damascus Dossier Leaks: Syrian War Criminals Face Belgian Reckoning

One of the largest intelligence releases so far on the Syrian state violence is the Damascus Dossier Leaks, released in December 2025. With the support of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and allies in Belgium in the forms of De Tijd, Le Soir and Knack, the investigation analyzed over 134,000 internal documents retrieved out […]

FINTRAC's Jeweler Crackdown: $363K Fines Signal AML Enforcement Surge CategoriesAnti Money Laundering

FINTRAC’s Jeweler Crackdown: $363K Fines Signal AML Enforcement Surge

Canada’s FINTRAC Jeweler Crackdown intensified in 2025 as regulators escalated pressure on high-value goods retailers, issuing more than $363,000 in cumulative fines for violations under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. The penalties targeted Griffin Jewellery Designs Inc., Victoria Jewellers Ltd., Diamond Exchange Toronto Inc., and Spence Diamonds Ltd., each found […]

Escalating violence and repression against civilians in Myanmar post-coup CategoriesBriefs

Escalating violence and repression against civilians in Myanmar post-coup

The post-coup situation in Myanmar became more and more violent until 2025 and formed one of the most unstable crises in Asia. The military coup of February 2021 disrupted the governance of the country and created a deep-rooted conflict between the junta and a fast-growing opposition. United Nations surveillance reveals over 6,000 deaths of civilians […]