Institute of Commonwealth Studies: Around the world, outdated laws continue to penalize individuals not for their actions, but for who they are and what they

Invisible People: The UK’s repeal of the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act marks a historic shift away from criminalizing homelessness. Still, with rough sleeping at record levels,

The Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) has launched a digital scorecard to monitor African countries’ implementation of the African Commission on Human

Petty offences that criminalise poverty-related and survival activities remain embedded in Kenya’s legal framework despite constitutional guarantees on equality, dignity and socio-economic rights, findings highlighted

Campaigner Kerri Douglas was arrested under an archaic law that criminalised rough sleeping and begging for 200 years. Her story inspired the government to finally

In an official statement, the government will repeal the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised

The proposed legislation, debated during plenary, seeks to curb street begging and establish a legal framework for addressing a persistent social problem affecting security, sanitation

Ghanian Parliament has passed the Community Service Bill, 2026, introducing community service as an alternative sentence for people convicted of specified minor offences. The new

This year, Hungarians can celebrate Pride openly. For the first time in history, there are rainbow flags on the streets and bridges of the Hungarian

While prostitution is legal in Nevada at licensed brothels in certain counties, and Maine decriminalized the selling of sexual services, no state has fully removed

ICJ Kenya: July 2, 2026 – The Kenya Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya), ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa, and the Bloggers Association

Law professor Valena Beety, founder of the Indiana Innocence Project, has written a jarring account of the multiple ways that women and queer people—particularly if they are

The Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC): VERMONT – Late last month, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed H.635, a bill eliminating the Vermont Department of Corrections’

National Homelessness Law Center: On June 28th, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its decision in the most impactful case on homelessness in decades. In Johnson

Legal experts, business leaders and Pacific advocates are questioning whether a proposed law will improve safety or end up targeting rough sleepers. A proposed law

Amnesty International: On 12 June, the four Palestine Action activists known as ‘the Filton 4’ – Charlotte Head, 29; Samuel Corner, 23; Leona Kamio, 30;

Amnesty International: Georgia is undergoing one of the most serious erosions of human rights since independence, as the ruling party increasingly resorts to authoritarian practices

Although a taboo subject, same-sex relations had not been a criminal offence in Muslim-majority Niger. General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of the military government, has

Lawyers for Human Rights: We, the Undersigned Organisations, Individuals, Groups, Movements and Communities welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa’s unequivocal condemnation of xenophobia, and unlawful attempts by private individuals

For years, there has been a progressive effort to criminalize parody and political humor, a push that hit a low point in 2023 when satirist

When South Carolina’s abortion abolitionist bill, the Unborn Child Protection Act (S. 1095), was voted out of committee and onto the full Senate floor in late April—“an unprecedented move

Content warning: This article deals explicitly with issues relating to transgender sexual assault and reports of official guidance which may be expressed in language that

Ghana’s LGBTQ community is living in fear after the country’s parliament approved a sweeping bill that criminalises the promotion of LGBTQ+ activities and identifying as

Sir Ian McKellen has joined activists and LGBTQIA+ refugees in London to protest the continued criminalisation of LGBTQIA+ people across much of the Commonwealth. The veteran

Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC): From Harare to Dar es Salaam to Mbabane to Lusaka, governments have learned they no longer need a guilty verdict

Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and Organisation for Promoting Human Rights : By forcing the poor out of public view, the council is creating a

International Commission of Jurists (ICJ): On 22 May 2026, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)—together with the Senate Committee on Political Development, Public Participation, Human

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) welcomes the President of the Thai Supreme Court’s Recommendations, published in the Government Gazette on 29 May 2026, on the

Hope Behind Bars Africa: In December 2024, Destiny Ekhorutomuen, a TikToker from Edo State, was arrested for allegedly using multiple social media accounts to spread

Forty-six organisations and individuals condemn xenophobia and the brutal and unlawful treatment of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers The Centre for Applied Legal Studies

Amnesty International: Responding to the news that Egyptian activist and writer Ahmed Douma has been convicted and sentenced to one year in prison following an unfair trial, Amnesty International’s Regional Researcher, Mahmoud Shalaby said:   “The renewed unjust

Lawyers, politicians and activists have called for the release of one of Sierra Leone’s best-known celebrities, who they said was unjustly imprisoned as part of

Women Beyond Walls is creating the first open-source global map of civil society groups supporting women who have been arrested, are on trial, are incarcerated, or have

Sonke Gender Justice: It’s International Sex Workers’ Day, and we still call for an end to discrimination, stigma, violence, and the criminalisation of sex work.

Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF): For several years now, President Kais Saied’s regime has steadily undermined the rule of law: dismissing judges, imprisoning political opponents, intimidating

Amnesty International: Authorities across Gulf states have arrested more than 1,000 people in a sweeping, war-related crackdown on expression, including for sharing online content or

We, the undersigned women’s rights organisations, human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and advocates for justice and democratic freedoms in Somalia, express our deep concern

Belarusian PEN has published a new analytical report summarizing the state of Belarusian culture in the first quarter of 2026. In Belarus, the politically motivated

When the Law Becomes a Weapon Hope Behind Bars Africa: Across Nigeria’s civic space, a pattern is emerging that deserves closer attention. Increasingly, legal and

The Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC): NEW YORK – Today, Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC) released The Cost We No Longer Pay, a report 

Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC): When the High Court on 22 July 2022 delivered its landmark ruling on police “sweeping exercises,” it did more than

Amnesty International: Coordinated disinformation campaigns portraying government critics as “foreign agents” are silencing dissent and fueling intimidation and violence under Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Amnesty

In the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, there has been increased movement toward criminalization of abortion.

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS on 15 May 2026 delivered its judgment in Case No ECW/CCJ/APP/05/25 brought by a non governmental organisation alleging violations

Geneva – The continued detention of Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin since 2 March, while visiting family in Kuwait, constitutes a serious violation of freedom of expression

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) condemns the Draft Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment Bill, 2026 as

National Homelessness Law Center The Louisiana House Judiciary Committee voted 12-4 on April 9 to advance a controversial bill that could force homeless individuals into unpaid labor.  House Bill

After years of campaigning, England and Wales have officially decriminalised abortion for women in a “landmark moment” as part of proposed changes to the Crime and Policing Bill.

There is something deeply unsettling about the way harm can become normalised when it is bureaucratised. When it is written into policy, absorbed into infrastructure,

To our community, We are devastated to be writing to you instead of gathering together as planned and we know we’re not alone. The frustration