On March 23, 2024, the Hong Kong government enacted the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly referred to as Article 23. One year later, the far-reaching provisions of the Ordinance have become an unprecedented instrument of repression. One particularly controversial measure was originally introduced by Beijing’s National Security Law (NSL) and has now been extended to Article 23 offenses. It implies …

In the intricate fabric of South Asian geopolitics, the Katchatheevu Island dispute between India and Sri Lanka stands as a stubborn knot, challenging the principles of cooperative engagement and regional stability, especially amidst the lead-up to India’s impending general elections, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rekindling of the controversy has ignited substantial discourse and speculation. This strategic maneuver, evidently aimed …

In November 2023, the Supreme Court of Russia ruled that the international LGBTQI+ movement will be officially designated as an extremist organisation. Namely, from now on, such movement officially took part in the “blacklist” of terrorist groups which will make it legitimate to subject LGBTQI+ members to arbitrary prosecutions, as well as any activist in support of their basic human …

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opened the new year of 2023, on the very 1st of January, with the adoption of a new decree (Italian Decree-Law 1/2023) which imposes relevant obstacles to the work of NGOs that provide search and rescue of migrants at sea. Over the past years, the Italian government attempted on multiple occasions to contribute to the promotion of the …

            Over the past few months, we have been observing a number of horrific humanitarian conflicts that have stopped the world, both due to its advancement and the failed attempts to stop them. Throughout the many disputes, many attempts were made to promote a ceasefire, establish sanctions, and overall put human rights as a priority of protection for the international community. …

On 8 March 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal for an EU Directive to fight violence against women, based on the wording of the Istanbul Convention. The scope of such a Directive is to set a common approach on the topic, which would later bring to the harmonization of European national legislations. The Directive would comprehend the criminalization of …

The African continent is showing a particular deterioration in the protection of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and other identities’ (LGBTQ+) rights. Most African countries have already imposed restrictive policies against LGBTQ+ communities, while others are worsening now their conditions. Same-sex relations are illegal in more than 30 African countries altogether, constituting half of the total 69 countries banning these …

In recent years, Europe has witnessed a concerning trend that threatens the very essence of democratic societies—the gradual erosion of the right to protest. Historically hailed as a fundamental pillar of democratic governance, the right to protest has come under increasing pressure across the continent, raising serious questions about the state of civil liberties in Europe. One of the most …

This week many UN-appointed experts of human rights requested the heads of various social media to change their business model for enhancing accountability in relation to online hate speech. The CEOs of, among the others, Twitter, Meta and Apple were called out by name to address discriminative posts while being at the same time in line with international standards for …

The technological development of recent years has highlighted many cyber-based threats. The most recent threats concern spyware software and their market for commercial use that is booming. The increasing use of mercenary spyware that violates privacy rights, silences opposition and the free press, and shields governments from public scrutiny are increasing their digital footprint and should be considered as the …