Author: Adia May August 5, 2026 [Image credit: Geri Tech/Pexels] Social media is a central space where political polarisation is encountered, reproduced, and circulated in the U.S. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and X are no longer sites designed for personal communication (Egan, 2026). They double as political information systems, having a hand in what users see, what they believe, and which voices are made visible in public debate (Liedke and S

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan August 5, 2026 HRRC condemns the reported use of force against protesters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and calls for an independent, transparent investigation into all deaths and injuries. Authorities must protect peaceful protests, restore communications and ensure unrestricted access for journalists and human rights observers. Activists protest in Islamabad, Pakistan on July 29, 2026 after unrest during the first phase of voting for the local l

Author: Nadia Nasri August 4, 2026 [Image credit: Katrin Bolovtsova via Pexels] One of the most long-standing human rights issues is the violence subjected against women and girls (WHO, 2025). It continues to permeate our world, with progress to reduce the incidence of it remaining stagnant, evidenced by the data reports from the World Health Organization between 2000 and 2023. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women globally has endured sexual or partner violence (WHO, 2025). This

Author: Eman Butt August 3, 2026 HRRC expresses serious concern over the expedited implementation of the death penalty, especially in cases where the proceedings have been widely documented as falling short of internationally recognized fair trial standards. HRRC reiterates that the right to life and the right to a fair trial are fundamental human rights that must be upheld in all circumstances. We call for an immediate halt to all executions and for the abolition of the deat

Author: Anna Chong August 3, 2026 NOTE: The author prefers to use lower case “c” and “p” to challenge the authority of the Chinese communist party (Ccp). In addition, there are a lot of op-eds, opinions, and articles commenting on this incident and paying tribute to the late Pawa Lobga Rangzen for his love towards Tibet and the Tibetan community. This article does not aim to endorse the acts of suicide as means of protest, but to decipher the polarised Chinese comments regar

Author: Aahana Negwekar August 3, 2026 HRRC condemns western attempts to utilize developing nations to diminish the power of the International Criminal Court. Western influence should not be used to exercise power on attempts at preserving international law. Félix Plasencia González [Image credit: @plasenciafelixr/X] On July 24th, 2026, Venezuela told the United Nations it is leaving the International Criminal Court (ICC). Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia announced the decis

Author: Vera Rousseff August 3, 2026 HRRC condemns the decision by President Daniel Ortega to suspend elections in Nicaragua. Free and fair elections are a critical part of a functioning democracy and serve as important safeguards to limit authoritarianism. We call on the Nicaraguan government to hold elections as planned and to end their repressive crackdown on Nicaraguan opposition groups, political dissenters, and civil society. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his w

Author: Danielle Castrano July 31, 2026 Federal agents detain a woman who is nine months pregnant after she exited a hearing in immigration court in New York on September 11, 2025. [Image credit: Michael Nigro/LightRocket via Getty Images] Background of the Problem President Donald Trump promised the largest mass deportation in U.S. history during his presidential campaign. As of December 19th, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported 622,000 noncitizens had b

Author: Raisa Hamlin July 31, 2026 HRRC calls on Indian authorities to respect rights to peaceful assembly and release protesters detained for peacefully exercising their rights, and to ensure an independent investigation into allegations of police force. Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters celebrate after the Education Minister’s resignation in New Delhi on July 25, 2026. [Image credit: REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas] A youth-led protest movement in India secured major conce

Author: Faryal Fatima July 30, 2026 HRRC condemns all attacks on journalists in Yemen, including arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances. We urge all involved parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect freedom of the press, free the illegally detained journalists, conduct rapid, independent investigations and prosecute those who are responsible for violating their rights, bringing an end to impunity. Mohammed Aydah’s car after an explosive device plant

Author: Christine Savino July 30, 2026 A unanimous judgment faulted Swiss authorities for failing to weigh the woman’s vulnerability or examine less restrictive alternatives. The Human Rights Research Center welcomes the Court’s insistence that detention does not erase a person’s rights to private and family life. Restrictions affecting pregnant detainees must be individually justified, proportionate, and based on meaningful consideration of less restrictive alternatives. The

Author: Snigdha Behara July 30, 2026 Farmers in rural India [Image credit: EqualStock/Unsplash] INTRODUCTION In India, around 150 million people require mental health care, with fewer than 30 mental health professionals per million people (Mathur, Chawla, & Chadda, 2024). This suggests a fundamental structural mismatch. There is a notable gap between the way mental distress is conceptualised and articulated by rural people and the organization of care around formal mental hea

Author: Khalil Dabdoub July 29, 2026 Forcibly displaced Palestinians in Gaza [Image credit: UN] Introduction The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that in 2025, there were over 117 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide, including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people; this number has been growing year after year (UNHCR, n.d.-e). Forcibly displaced people include refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan July 29, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns attacks on civilian vessels and the abandonment of seafarers in conflict zones, which violate international humanitarian and labour rights standards. All parties to conflict and shipowners must provide essential supplies and ensure safe evacuation, repatriation and payment of wages. [Image credit: Andreas Dittberner/Unsplash] UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has called for immediate international action for the

Author: Paul Gould July 28, 2026 [Image credit: Tomáš Malík/Pexels] Introduction Why are children particularly affected by the continued usage of greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources? Because current protective mechanisms are insufficient to meet the needs of our young people. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a treaty adopted in 1990 that establishes a global framework to ensure the ongoing safety of children’s rights. All of the then 196 eligible state parties