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Volunteers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) operating in Gaza gave testified to witnessing execution of Palestinians by Israeli troops during the 50-day war at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine last week. Revered journalist Max Blumenthal provided the testimony to leading civil society members and jurists, saying that the executions were meant to humiliate. “Dan Cohen and …

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine in its session on Operation Protective Edge held in Brussels on Wednesday found evidence of crimes against humanity, crimes of murder, war crimes, termination and persecution and incitement to genocide. The tribunal’s proof comes on the heels of claims made by rights groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and …

On Thursday, the United Nations denounced the public execution of Iraqi Human Rights lawyer Samira Saleh Al-Naimi in Mosul. She was reportedly killed by the IS in a kangaroo court after being found guilty of apostasy. “By torturing and executing a female human rights’ lawyer and activist, defending in particular the civil and human rights of her fellow citizens in …

An Iranian court last Friday sentenced seven people to prison for making a viral video earlier this year in which they danced to American singer Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy”. Last Wednesday, a defense attorney explained that six of the defendants were handed six-month jail sentences and 91 whiplashes as punishment. Additionally, the seventh defendant was given a year-long prison …

Several Palestinians who had been rearrested in Israel after being freed because of a prisoner exchange are going to stage a hunger strike on Tuesday, Ramallah-based Prisoners’ Club said on Monday. The strike will be observed by 63 of the 1,027 prisoners who were freed by a swap arrangement in 2011. Since June, when 3 Israeli teens were allegedly kidnapped …

UN Human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein said that smugglers accused of sinking a boat, causing the deaths of around 500 migrants, are probably guilty of “mass murder” and should be put on trial. “The callous act of deliberately ramming a boat full of hundreds of defenseless people is a crime that must not go unpunished. If the survivors’ …

On Thursday, Israeli Arab rights group Adalah called for an international probe into alleged war crime committed by Israel during the 50-day war with Hamas, a week after the Israeli army dismissed several such investigations. On September 10th, the Israeli army launched five criminal probes into incidents involving its soldiers during the conflict, in which over 2,140 Palestinians had died. …

An Egyptian court on Monday ordered the release of top activist Alaa Abdel Fattah on bail at a retrial of the case in which he was handed a 15-year prison sentence. Abdel Fattah, who was one of the biggest faces of the 2011 revolt against former President Hosni Mubarak, was initially charged with assaulting a policeman at a protest. His …

On Tuesday, the United Nations mediated a Palestinian-Israeli deal on the import of construction material to the Gaza Strip to ensure that they will not be diverted by Hamas members, a UN envoy said. UN envoy for the Middle East Robert Serry said that the agreement on oversee the supply of construction material “must get up and running without delay”. …

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in Tuesday urged nations with the capacity to take actions against the Islamic State (IS). “I urge the international community, and those with the means, to act decisively and after sober reflection. It is critical to keep at the forefront the protection of civilians”, he said. However, the UN chief did not say what steps …