Author: Vera Rousseff March 4, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the civilian attacks carried out by South Sudan’s government and calls on it to restore the peace framework outlined in the 2018 Revitalized Agreement. We urge regional actors, including the African Union, to work to restore restore the preexisting peace agreement in order to prevent human rights violations and avoid a wider regional conflict. In Akobo, South Sudan, a group of internally displaced people gather at a c

Author: Sasha Leonard March 4, 2026 Glossary   Absorbed : To be incorporated into or included in something else.  Afro-descent : Refers to people of African origin who live outside of the African continent and can trace their ancestral roots to enslaved African peoples.   Afro-diaspora : Refers to all of the communities and people, globally, that are descended from people from the African continent, particularly descendants of African populations displaced by the transatlanti

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan March 3, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the escalating cross-border violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which has resulted in civilian deaths, destruction of homes and the disruption of children’s education. HRRC calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, independent investigations into alleged violations, and strict adherence by parties in the conflict to international human rights and humanitarian law to protect civilians on both sides o

Author: Sheikh Sibghat Ullah March 3, 2026 [Image Source: Pakistan Today , “Digital Vigilance: ICT-15 in Action” (April 12, 2024).] Framing the Problem: From Crime Control to Permanent Surveillance In Pakistan, the Safe City projects have, in the last decade, not only ceased to be experimental security projects but have become an infrastructural backbone to urban policing in Lahore, Islamabad, and, more recently, Karachi . What was initially an anti-terrorism measure against

Author: Sheetal Frank, MA February 27, 2026 HRRC acknowledges that digital ID cards may contribute to efficiency and security but calls for the government to implement inclusivity and fairness for vulnerable communities at risk of digital exclusion. We further emphasise the importance of protecting privacy and data rights and upholding human rights principles of non-discrimination and equality as digital ID systems become increasingly embedded in everyday life. Proposal of Di

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc February 26, 2026 HRRC draws attention to the breakdown in international humanitarian law, human rights law, and laws governing armed conflict at the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We stress that so long as such violations go unpunished, the international community risks abandoning hard-fought norms governing human rights and humanitarian protections in wartime. We express great concern that the international

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan February 25, 2026 HRRC expresses concern over the reported denial of timely and independent medical access to former prime minister Imran Khan, which threatens to violate his fundamental human rights and the state’s duty of care. HRRC urges the authorities to ensure transparent, independent medical treatment and full compliance with constitutional and international human rights standards. Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakis

Author: Calvin Mouw, PhD February 25, 2026 Demonstrators take part in a protest to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Madrid, Spain, November 25, 2022 [Image credit: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters] Across Europe, sexual violence remains both widespread and obscured, sustained as much by silence as by law. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) estimates that one in three women has experienced violence in private, professional,

Author: Vera Rousseff February 24, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the extrajudicial killings carried out as part of the “war on drugs” campaign led by Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines. Although drug-related killings have reduced since Duterte left office, they are still being reported, and Filipinos affected by Duterte’s campaign are still calling for the ex-president to be held accountable for his crimes. We call on the government of the Philippines to r

Author: Madi Carpenter February 24, 2026 [Image source: Lesvos Solidarity ] As migration patterns continue to intersect with the slow evolution of modern immigration policy, community-based alternatives that emerge to fill gaps left by the state play a critical role in how migrant reception is understood and practiced. “Hotspots” that develop during periods of increased migration are frequently followed by restrictive enforcement measures, as illustrated by the Greek governm

Author: Devin Windelspect, MSc February 20, 2026 HRRC welcomes signs that the Rodríguez government in Venezuela is opening space for press freedom and freedom of expression in the country, but stresses that such efforts remain incremental and fall far short of granting Venezuelans full freedom of expression. We call on the Venezuelan regime to release any remaining jailed Venezuelan journalists and drop politicized charges against journalists, including La Patilla journalist

Author: Erina Bazán López February 20, 2026 Abstract: This article examines documentation provided by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) alleging that staged “encounters” have become an institutionalized element of Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD). Analysis of at least 670 recorded encounters during the first eight months of 2025 identifies a profound casualty imbalance—resulting in 924 fatalities among suspects compared to only two police deaths—suggesting

Author: Vera Rousseff February 19, 2026 HRRC firmly believes that social media companies must be held accountable for facilitating the creation and spread of child sexual abuse material and other harmful content online. We applaud European authorities for launching investigations into these companies and introducing legislation to protect individuals, especially children, from having their rights violated by major tech companies. We call on the United States to take similar r

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan February 17, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the fatal shooting of Vincent Ayomo during the Kitengela rally and demands a swift, transparent, and independent investigation into the incident. HRRC calls on authorities to uphold constitutional rights, ensure accountability for any unlawful use of force and protect citizens’ freedom of peaceful protest. On Sunday, February 15, a 28-year-old man was shot dead during the Linda Mwananchi rally led by Nairobi

Author: Calvin Mouw, PhD February 17, 2026   Within the European Union (EU), few policy areas generate as much division as reproductive rights. Alongside migration policy, as well as foreign and security affairs, questions of abortion access and contraceptive protections expose deep rifts among EU Member States. Countries such as Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and Norway have each established robust frameworks that guarantee reproductive rights and abortio