Media Coverage

For nearly two centuries after France abolished slavery, the colonial-era law that classified humans as property has remained quietly on the books. On Thursday, the lower house of parliament voted to wipe it from French law. The National Assembly voted 254-0—a rare show of unanimity—to adopt a bill...

Hungary’s parliament voted on Wednesday to remain a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), reversing a decision by the previous government of Viktor Orbán to withdraw from the global tribunal. Orbán’s government announced last year that Hungary would quit the ICC, the world’s only...

Hundreds of Ukrainians marched through the capital on Friday, demanding that the government veto a bill that families of missing soldiers say could lead to their loved ones being prematurely declared dead. The protesters gathered to oppose Bill No. 13646, which addresses the legal status of missing...

Israeli lawmakers have voted to advance a bill that would dissolve parliament and pave the way for early elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties, while his fractious right-wing coalition appears to be facing possible collapse. Ultra...

Hungary and Ukraine will begin consultations on the rights of Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarian minority, the countries’ foreign ministers said Monday, an early sign that strained relations between Budapest and Kyiv could improve under Hungary’s new government. Bilateral ties between the neighboring...

Thirty-four European states plus Australia, Costa Rica and the European Union said, on Friday, May 15, that they would join a future special tribunal for Ukraine to prosecute Russia over its invasion of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an accord with the Council of Europe...

Israeli legislators have approved a bill to establish a special tribunal with the power to impose the death penalty on Palestinians accused of involvement in the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. Israeli and Palestinian rights groups warn that the bill will make the death penalty too easy to...

Mali’s junta leader and the country’s president has assumed the duties of defense minister, authorities said Monday, after the incumbent was killed in sweeping, coordinated attacks by separatist and jihadi forces that stunned the West African nation. The announcement comes after Defense Minister Gen...

Authorities in Tunisia have ordered a one-month suspension of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, one of the oldest rights groups in Africa and the Arab world and part of the National Dialogue Quartet awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, in the latest move raising concerns over a widening crackdown...

Myanmar has imposed a state of emergency in 60 townships across nine states and regions, transferring sweeping powers to the military as authorities seek to contain ongoing violence, local media reported on Friday. The President’s Office said the emergency measures, declared Thursday, aim to...