News and Updates

Iran’s supreme leader acknowledges thousands killed as Trump calls for new leadership: reports

"Iran’s supreme leader has publicly acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during recent anti-government protests, according to reporting from the BBC, as President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric and called for new leadership in Iran."Fox News Story by Jasmine Baehr

Trump seeks $1B from nations for Board of Peace permanent membership—report

"The Trump administration is reportedly asking countries that want a permanent spot on President Donald Trump‘s new “Board of Peace” to contribute at least $1 billion, according to Bloomberg on Saturday who obtained a draft charter for the proposed international organization. The White House Rapid Response account on X called Bloomberg’s report “misleading,” stating the proposal “offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity." The charter reportedly reveals that Trump would serve as the inaugural chairman and would decide on who’s invited to be members. The draft charter says that member states would serve three-year terms subject to renewal by the chairman, but this term limit would not apply to countries contributing more than $1 billion in cash funds within the first year. Some critics and leaders are concerned that Trump is attempting to build an alternative or rival to the United Nations (U.N.), which he has long criticized. The proposal raises questions about international governance structures and how diplomatic influence could be shaped by financial contributions. Many rights experts and advocates have previously said Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembled a colonial structure, Reuters reported. The Board of Peace’s role in Gaza comes as the territory continues to see deadly violence despite a fragile ceasefire that went into effect in October. ... The Board of Peace is described in the charter as “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” according to Bloomberg’s report. The organization would become official once three member states agree to the charter." Reported in Newsweek Story by Adeola Adeosun

"Board of Peace for Gaza Is Forming With Ambitions for a Wider Mandate of Other Conflicts: President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” that was initially seen as a mechanism focused on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is taking shape with ambitions to have a far broader mandate of other global crises." Reported in US News & World Report, AP (Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto, Cinar Kiper in Istanbul, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report)

"Gaza 'Board of Peace' takes shape as Israel raises concern: (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace for Gaza is beginning to take shape with Argentina’s Javier Milei and Canada’s Mark Carney set to become founding members, even as Israel voiced rare objections to parts of the US president’s plan to build on the fragile ceasefire in the region. The Argentine leader on Saturday thanked Trump for the invitation, saying it would be an honor to join. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also invited to be a founding member of the council, the head of his communications office said on X, while AFP reported that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was mulling whether to take part. They would be joined by Carney, who has accepted the offer to participate, a senior Canadian official has said. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has also been invited to be a council member, a Brazilian official said. But on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized plans for a committee underneath the Board of Peace, saying it hadn’t been coordinated with Israel. “The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy,” according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office. “The Prime Minister has instructed the Foreign Affairs Minister to contact the US Secretary of State on this matter.” On Friday, the White House announced a first executive panel that would include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair before the formation of the overall board. It also appointed a second executive committee, which is expected to do the bulk of the work in remaking Gaza and includes the Turkish foreign minister and a diplomat from Qatar. The second panel is the one objected to by Netanyahu, who considers those countries as too close to Hamas and unlikely to remake the coastal strip as Israel wants. It’s a rare open disagreement with Trump from the Israeli leader, who has consistently sought to portray his relationship with the US president as one of unity and full coordination. In the invitation shared by Milei, Trump wrote that the effort “will bring together a distinguished group of nations ready to shoulder the noble responsibility of building LASTING PEACE, an Honor reserved for those prepared to lead by example, and brilliantly invest in a secure and prosperous future for generations to come.” The partners are set to convene “in the near future,” he added." Bloomberg, Story by Dan Williams and Ethan Bronner

Marco Rubio says Trump admin can't comply with judge order to give deported migrants a chance to challenge their removal

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration can't comply with a judge's order to give deported migrants a chance to challenge their removal. ... Judge James Boasberg had ordered the administration to bring back 137 of more than 240 deportees from the country to face court hearings, or arrange remote ones from Venezuela. The judge said the migrants were "denied their due-process rights" and didn't get a chance to challenge their deportations in federal court. However, Rubio said that "given the passage of time," the government doesn't know "the whereabouts of class members, including whether anyone has departed Venezuela or whether the regime subsequently took anyone back into custody." Anticipating the chance that Boasberg will rule against the administration, officials requested that the judge stay any ruling pending the resolution of an appeal." Reported in the Latin Times, story by Demian Bio

Hundreds of murdered Iranian protesters found shot in head, neck during historic protests — including 23-year-old fashion student

"The harrowing details emerged as the death toll rose to at least 600 as of Monday and scores of bodies have only continued to pile up across the country since the protests got underway Dec. 28." reports Emily Crane of the New York Post

U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane

Charile Savage, Eric Schmitt, John Ismay, Julain E. Barnes, Riley Mellen and Christiaan Triebert of the New York Times reported a war crime by the Executive Branch. "The New York Times reported Monday that the Department of Defense (DOD) is now being accused of disguising a military aircraft as a civilian plane while carrying out one of its controversial attacks on alleged drug boats. The strike killed 11 people last September, and reportedly hid munitions in its fuselage rather than visibly under its wings. This was also the same attack in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly authorized a second strike to kill two survivors who were seen clinging to wreckage of the vessel” was the summary of the NY Times article posted by Carl Gibson of Alternet

Trump: I don’t need international law – only one thing limits my power

According to The Independent's Ariana Baio: “I don’t need international law,” Trump told The New York Times in an interview in the Oval Office. “I’m not looking to hurt people." ... The president added that his administration did need to follow international law, but contended that following it “depends what your definition of international law is.”

French President Macron slams US for breaching international law

"French President Emmanuel Macron accused Washington of breaching international law and turning away from its partners days after the US captured and removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and threatened to take control of Greenland. The US “is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and breaking free from international rules,” Macron told French ambassadors in Paris Thursday." Story by Ania Nussbaum and Samy Adghirni, Bloomberg

2025 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary

According to MSN.com's Gabe Whisnant: "In his annual report on the federal judiciary, Roberts described the Constitution and Declaration as “firm and unshaken,” borrowing a line from President Calvin Coolidge’s 1926 sesquicentennial address."

Does the United States Still Oppose Torture?

According to JUST SECURITY's Gabor Rona: “For the first time in history, the United States voted against the UN General Assembly’s periodic resolution condemning torture. The only other countries to do so were Argentina and Israel. 169 countries voted in favor. The U.S. vote, which took place last month, is hard to rationalize in any world that values the mandate of the United Nations to work toward international peace, security and human rights.”..."In its Explanation, the United States references the “the United Nations’ core mandate of maintaining international peace and security.” In doing so, the explanation omits the other three core mandates expressed in the Preamble to the UN Charter: maintaining international peace and security; developing friendly relations among nations; fostering international cooperation for economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian issues; and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms. The four, together, serve as a center to harmonize nations’ actions toward these common goals. The mandate of the Third Committee is to address a wide range of social, humanitarian, and cultural concerns. It is the principal U.N. General Assembly committee for discussing human rights issues. Thus, and because the U.S. Explanation contains no criticism specific to the substance of the torture resolution, one could perhaps construe the U.S. Explanation as reflecting a newly expressed antipathy to human-rights related efforts in general coming out of the Third Committee."

Rep. Moore, Sen. Grassley: No Congressional Hearing or Bill for the ‘Family Justice & Accountability Act’

Dozens of persons attended the meeting on October 20, 2025, which was "promoted online as a historic federal breakthrough for family-court reform — a congressional “bill presentation” and “hearing” organized by Punished 4 Protecting founder Francesca Amato and several social media personalities — was, in reality, a privately organized meeting held at the Cleveland Park Library in Washington, D.C." - Julie Anderson-Holburn on SubStack.com

As UN human rights chief for Palestine, this is why I don’t trust Trump’s Gaza plan

How the perspective of a world-appointed human rights authority (Special Rapporteur) is radically different than the perspective of government, and description of the consequences. Story by Joe Walsh for the iPaper.

Children’s Advocates Speak Out After Trump Refuses to Engage in UN Human Rights Review

In response to a recent refusal by the U.S. government to participate in a global review of its human rights record, youth and their advocates gathered at the United Nations on Wednesday to call for better protection of children and families in government custody. An article by Susanti Sarkar is published in the Imprint Youth and Family News.

Most people don't realize how badly they're being manipulated right now

Insightful analysis by Elon Musk on the manipulation of the public trust, and the exercise of control through manufactured narrative. The importance of the observance of treaties is noted. A video is published on YouTube documenting his statement.

Testimony by Jessica Saxton, “civil rights advocate and litigator”, to Arizona’s Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

A “civil rights advocate and litigator”, and complainant to the IAJ, presents a statement of human rights violations to a state county government. A video is published on YouTube documenting her statement.

Not 'the gospel.' Ahead of Supreme Court term, Clarence Thomas weighs in on precedent

"At some point we need to think about what we're doing with stare decisis,” Justice Clarence Thomas said about the legal term that protects stability in the law. "And it's not some sort of talismanic deal where you can just say 'stare decisis' and not think, turn off the brain.”, Maureen Groppe, USA Today Sept 27, 2025

See also Laura Mitchell, MSN, Thomas Breaks from Supreme Court Precedent "Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has claimed that precedent is not binding gospel and that judges should not follow "stare decisis" automatically. He argued that prior rulings should yield when they lack a sound legal basis. Thomas added that judges may depart from precedent if it is unpersuasive or poorly reasoned and urged reconsideration of substantive due process rulings."

Article entitled ‘Killer Family Courts’ posted by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Bandy Lee to Medium.com

QUOTE: Arizona Lawmakers Expose Corruption, Murdered Children, and a Billion-Dollar Custody Cartel -- Since my testimonies before the Arizona and the Idaho legislatures on Family Court violence, there have been additional hearings both in Idaho and in Arizona. I have always underscored the need to cover Family Court abuses in terms of preventable killings from murder, mayhem, and suicide — and to leave behind the convoluted legal and academic verbiage — so as to call attention to the true magnitude of the crisis, in stark medical terms. Without this, we will fall short of appreciating the true severity of this national emergency — without appeasing, pleasing, or trying to sound “professional”. This would amount to a Battered Nation Syndrome. Now, after more than three years since I started urging this approach, legislatures are hearing it, and journalists are covering it: [refers to article] Murdered Children, Abusive Exes, and a Billion-Dollar Custody Cartel By Richard Luthmann Published August 29, 2025

You’re Not a Criminal, But You’re Going to Jail: My ICE Detention Story as a Canadian Citizen

A detailed account of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty through border control seen from the eyes of detainee Jasmine Mooney.

Federal judge abandons 6-year bright line of disability accommodation and Safe Harbor in favor of national judicial policy of human rights violation

After six years of accommodating a litigant with Multiple Sclerosis and increasing illness induced by other courts, federal judge Beth Freeman abandoned her precedent-setting national standard on court disability accommodation on March 10, 2025. This leaves no ADA-compliant and no human rights compliant model accommodation for disabled litigants in the United States, using which to compel state and federal court to accommodate (invisible) disabilities. The explanation the judge offered was that she must give Full Faith and Credit to an order by a state court judge, who is being prosecuted in a pending court case in her own federal court for violations of the ADA and human rights and other serious charges, thus, in effect, short-circuiting that lawsuit and rendering a verdict without jurisdiction. She also insisted that if a disabled litigant shows any sign of writing objections to their treatment or filing any document, they shall be punished by the removal of all disability accommodation, and will be ordered to participate in litigation. In so doing, the judge deprived the litigant of life-saving medical treatment and caused him injuries. The Freeman Bright Line of court accommodation should not have been abandoned according to the ADA, since the federal judiciary is charged with the preemptive setting of a uniform national standard on the elimination of all discrimination based on disability ON BEHALF OF disabled litigants.

IAJ Launches Global Research Initiative on Court Accessibility

Major study to examine court accessibility standards and implementation across jurisdictions.

Canceled: 83rd session of the Committe Against Torture

Due to the starvation of funds at the United Nations, particularly by the United States, the 83rd session of the CAT, scheduled for July 2025, was canceled. The non-compliance of the United States with the UNCAT was to be one of the areas of review in the 83rd session.

Re: Recommendation for Creation of a Judicial Reference Panel with Respect to the Court’s Code of Conduct

Speaking about the SCOTUS Code of Conduct: "Both CREW and Judge Fogel expressed their concerns that right now, limitations within the Code of Conduct, including its lack of an oversight mechanism, would hinder both its efficacy and its impact on the public’s view of the Court. But taking the steps to establish an ethics reference panel would contribute significantly to rebuilding public trust and confidence in the Court. Drawing upon the experience, expertise and reputation of respected retired judges is a realistic and practical solution." CREW, Letters on Ethics & Reform October 7, 2024 and the letter by judge Jeremy Fogel.

The Supreme Court’s ‘ethics code’ is a blatant attempt to gaslight America | Opinion

The Supreme Court’s new code of ethics is little more than a naked attempt to gaslight our nation after a year of disturbing reports showing the justices have been engaged in what would be considered highly unethical conduct in any other branch of government. Chief Justice John Roberts would have Americans believe the justices’ self-inflicted ethical problems are merely a “misunderstanding” and that the justices are now simply codifying principles that already govern their conduct. In other words, “This is fine.” But recent polls show a majority of Americans — regardless of political affiliation — disagree. It’s time to demand accountability from our country’s highest legal authority by passing the ethics code introduced by Senate Democrats. Federal law requires justices to recuse themselves from hearing cases where their impartiality might reasonably be questioned — a mandate the Supreme Court has blatantly ignored and is now attempting to rewrite. The law says justices “shall disqualify” themselves in such cases, but the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct only suggests justices “should disqualify” themselves. Worse, the code is unenforceable. By giving individual justices sole power over their own recusals, it guarantees nothing will change. ... The justices have been brazen in their disregard for ethical standards, with Roberts refusing the Senate Judiciary Committee’s request to testify on the subject and Alito asserting that Congress has “no authority” to regulate them. Already, 70% of Americans think the Supreme Court should be subject to congressional ethics investigations, and they’re unlikely to buy this fig leaf of a code of conduct. Three in every four voters — including 72% of Republicans — support taking congressional action to implement a binding code of ethics over these justices who refuse to police themselves. ... The Supreme Court claims the code it just enacted is sufficient. In truth, it greenlights the justices’ egregious conduct.

See Devon Ombres, Miami Herald, December 5, 2023

Interview: Victory for People with Disabilities and Older Persons in Mexico

In a landmark victory for people with disabilities and older people, Mexican President Manuel López Obrador signed into law the National Civil and Family Procedure Code this summer, establishing full legal capacity and the right to supported decision making for everyone 18 years and older. This is an essential win for people with disabilities and older people in Mexico, who are often stripped of their legal capacity. At the forefront of this success was Deciding Is My Right (of which Human Rights Watch is a member), a coalition of organizations of people with disabilities, organizations of older persons, other human rights organizations, and academia.

Carlos Ríos Espinosa, Associate Director, Disability Rights Division, Human Rights Watch, July 11, 2023

Torture Trial in US Highlights Gaps in Law: US Should Play Larger Role in International Justice

According to Human Rights Watch's Brandon Vines: “The US torture law prohibits torture, defined as acts specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering, committed by a public official abroad and the accused person is in the United States or a US citizen. The trial comes more than 14 years after the first and only conviction under the law, that of Charles “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr., who headed Liberia’s notorious Anti-Terrorist Unit between 1997 and 2003 and then came to the United States. Other US legislation criminalizes crimes recognized under international law – war crimes, genocide, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. These laws have rarely been used including because of limitations in the US framework, like the lack of a crimes against humanity statute and recognition of command responsibility – the rule that establishes when superior officers can be held responsible for crimes committed by their subordinates. This has meant that US courts have fallen behind courts in Germany and France, for example, as part of growing international justice efforts in national courts. But the United States shows signs of stepping up such efforts, including enacting important legislative fixes, prosecuting an alleged Gambian “death squad” member in Colorado, criminal investigations of potential war crimes in Ukraine that could be tried in the US, and, reportedly, a potential war crimes case against top Syrian officials. Of course, there has still been no accountability for US torture and other serious abuses carried out by the US Central Intelligence Agency following the September 11, 2001 attacks. That is clearly a matter of political will. But by pursuing the Roggio case, the US is showing a greater interest in prosecuting grave international crimes committed abroad. "