Saudi Arabia human rights office signs UN human trafficking prevention agreement
Saudi Arabia and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Monday signed an agreement to build a legal and institutional framework to combat human trafficking crimes. President of the Saudi Arabia Human Rights Commission (HRC) Dr. Hala bint Mazyad bin Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri stressed that the Kingdom has strived to build a legal and institutional [...]
The US Department of State Thursday released a letter stating that Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohhammed bin Salman should have immunity in a US case regarding his role in the murder of Saudi-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Biden Administration’s suggestion for bin Salman’s immunity was filed with the court on Thursday and [...]
UN releases draft COP27 climate agreement, omits fossil fuel limits
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Thursday published a draft agreement on climate change from the COP27 climate summit. The agreement includes preliminary measures to keep the average global temperature from increasing beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius but notably omits a comprehensive plan to target fossil fuel emissions. The draft begins with a [...]
G20 leaders condemn Russian war on Ukraine and call for unconditional withdrawal
Group of 20 (G20) leaders Wednesday condemned and deplored Russian aggression in Ukraine in a declaration at the conclusion of the 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in Bali. The G20 leaders also demanded Russia’s “complete and unconditional withdrawal from” Ukraine, emphasizing the vitality of “peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, [...]
Released FBI documents show effort to deploy Pegasus spyware
Several FBI documents were released by the New York Times Saturday highlighting an effort by the FBI in 2020-2021 to secure and deploy Pegasus spyware. Pegasus spyware, developed by the NSO Group, is a zero-click hacking tool that can invade a target’s mobile phone and extract messages, photos, contacts, messages and video recordings. Numerous governments, both autocracies [...]
Amnesty International Thursday called Saudi Arabia’s execution of two Pakistani nationals for drug-related crimes a “callous attack on the right of life.” Amnesty International reports that Saudi Arabia has carried out 128 executions this year alone. Amnesty International Acting Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Diana Semann critiqued Saudi Arabia’s return to [...]
UN human rights chief denounces Houthi movement for Yemen war crimes
The United Nations Human Rights Chief Friday denounced the Houthi movement for committing war crimes in Yemen. According to UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Office has verified three incidents of shelling in government-controlled areas that killed a boy and a man and wounded others. The office also verified three incidents of [...]
Explainer: How Sharia Law is More Progressive Than the US Supreme Court on Abortion
On June 24, 2022, in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson decision, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a 5-4 decision, posing a risk to the reproductive rights of millions of American women. Though of course, the debate is limited in many ways to US constitutional laws and practices, it also draws on [...]
Jihene Ferchichi is JURIST’s staff correspondent in Tunisia. She reports from Tunis. Hello everyone, my name is Jihene Ferchichi, a Tunisian practicing lawyer and the holder of an LLM from the University of Pittsburgh in International Studies and Comparative Law. I will be reporting for JURIST on the state of rule of law in Tunisia, [...]
A Saudi Arabian court Tuesday sentenced Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani to 45 years prison for tweeting material the court claimed impinged upon “public order and religious values.” Not many details are known about the case yet. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a nonprofit organization founded by Saudi Arabian journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi, [...]
