Syria’s Red Crescent working together with the UN refugee body delivered aid – including food, blankets, and health kids – to rebel-held parts of Aleppo for the first time in 10 months. Previous attempts to deliver aid have been stymied.
As pro-Russian protesters continue to occupy government buildings in some eastern Ukraine cities, Ukrainian authorities said the situation will be over within 48 hours – either because of negotiations or force. Critical four-way talks will take place next week in an effort to de-escalate the situation, amid military build-ups and threats of further sanctions.
Russia’s Constitutional Court has upheld the controversial “foreign agents” law, which requires NGOs that accept foreign funding and engage in “political activity” to register as “foreign agents,” a term generally understood in Russia to mean “traitor” or “spy.” The prominent human rights group, Memorial, announced its closure in St. Petersburg because of the law.
Force against protesters, a far-from-independent judiciary, and constrictions on media – all part of the authoritarian tactics Venezuela’s government has used to run the country.
Good news! A bill making its way through Washington DC’s Council would be a significant step toward improving police response to sexual assault in the District of Columbia.
Serbia has extradited war crime suspect Milutin Babic to Bosnia.
In a major victory for digital rights groups, the European Union’s top court invalidated the EU’s data retention law, calling into question whether blanket data retention can ever be consistent with human rights requirements.
