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

Author: Erina Bazan Lopez February 16, 2026 HRRC expresses grave concern over documented patterns of unlawful pushbacks, loss of life at sea, and limited accountability in border enforcement practices in Greece. We call for the immediate cessation of illegal expulsions, the protection of humanitarian actors from criminalization, and the establishment of independent and transparent border monitoring systems. Upholding the right to seek asylum and protecting human life must rem

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc February 12, 2026 HRRC calls on the international community to prioritize mediation efforts toward a ceasefire and negotiate an end Sudan's civil war, considering the widespread humanitarian toll and devastation enacted by both sides of the conflict over the last three years. We especially draw attention to the use of drone warfare in the country, and stress that drones, as seen in other global conflicts, are routinely used to target civilians.

Author: Danielle Castano, MA February 11, 2026 Workers pack green bananas at the Santa Cruz plantation in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico. Bananas from the plantation are shipped to clients including Chiquita, the leading US banana distributor. [Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images] Chiquita Brand International (CBI), originally founded as the United Fruit Company (UFC) in 1899 and renamed in 1984, is a globally recognized produce supplier best known for banana distribution.

Author: Vera Rousseff February 10, 2026 HRRC calls on the Trump administration to cease its attempts to further weaken Cuba’s economy, as continued economic pressure risks triggering a severe humanitarian crisis. The United States’ actions are the latest chapter in a decades-long pattern of U.S. interference and violence in Cuba and the Latin American region, which must come to an end. Cubans wait in line for fuel. [Image credit: Getty Images ] On Wednesday, February 4, Unite

Author: Elijah Appelson February 10, 2026 Summary For decades, the internet has largely relied on a model of self-reported age — the familiar “check here if you are 18” box. [1] While criticized for its ineffectiveness, this system preserved a baseline level of anonymity, allowing users to access online information without disclosing personally identifiable information (PII). Today, this paradigm is being replaced by an expanding digital identity regime. [2] In the name of c

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan February 9, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the heinous attack on the Islamabad Imambargah as a grave violation of the rights to life and security. HRRC calls on the Government of Pakistan to strengthen protection of places of worship through intelligence-led security, action against hate speech and banned outfits, community-based safeguards and transparent accountability for all those responsible. Mourners attend the funeral after the attack on an Imam

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc February 5, 2026 HRRC calls on authorities to drop all charges against Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for carrying out their constitutional First Amendment right to record and document a protest as journalists. We maintain that the arrests represent a sudden escalation of attacks on journalists in the United States, intended to create a chilling effect to silence journalists critical of the Trump administration. We also call attention to repeated i

Author: Antonia Vasileiadou February 5, 2026 [Image source: Wallpapersden, ‘Cybersecurity Core Wallpaper’ (Wallpapersden, Published 16 April 2024. https://wallpapersden.com/cybersecurity-core-wallpaper/  accessed 9 January 2026.] I.              Beyond Compliance: Protecting Human Rights in High-Risk AI with DPIAs Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) are a key tool under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for identifying and mitigating risks to human rights,

Author: Trisha Sayal February 4, 2026 Introduction Democracy seems to be dying a slow death. Particularly, wealthy countries are experiencing unprecedented tyranny and dictatorship, not through violent military takeovers but in an overreach of incumbent, formerly democratic leaders (Riedl et al., 2025, p. 163). What is occurring globally can be described as the erosion of democracy and the rise of electoral authoritarianism, which refers to the exploitation of democratic syst

Author: Erina Bazán López February 3, 2026 HRRC calls upon the Russian government to immediately dismantle its predatory global recruitment infrastructure and its trafficking and exploitation of economically vulnerable citizens from the Global South. We also urge them to release all foreign nationals coerced into military service under false pretences and to allow for the safe and transparent repatriation of both the survivors and the remains of the fallen. Maksudur Rahman, 3