Human Rights in the News: September 2021

Welcome to the September 2021 edition of Human Rights in the News, Woven Teaching’s monthly collection of important human rights stories from around the world.

View of Rikers Island (Credit: Uli Seit)

House Democrats Call on de Blasio to Brief Congress on Rikers Crisis
Jonah E. Bromwich | The New York Times | September 27, 2021

This year, eleven people have died at New York’s infamous Rikers Island. Three U.S. politicians have asked New York mayor Bill de Blasio to brief Congress next week on the jail’s “unacceptable conditions”. Learn more >

A blue scale illustrated to look like a microchip (Credit: Shutterstock)

We need concrete protections from artificial intelligence threatening human rights
Karine Gentelet and Sarit K. Mizrahi  |  The Conversation  |  September 26, 2021

According to the authors, advances in artificial intelligence over the past several years have violated human rights in many ways. Their proposed solution “aims to encourage AI developers to categorically consider human rights at every stage of development [and] takes the steps necessary to allow us to shape AI, and not the other way around.” Learn more >

Photo of a bearded Osman Kavala in profile, wearing a blue collared shirt

Turkey Defies the European Court
Human Rights Watch  |  September 13, 2021

Human Rights Watch has urged the Council of Europe to begin infringement proceedings against Turkey for its failure to implement the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) judgment ordering the release of the jailed human rights defender Osman Kavala. Learn more >

Two refugee children play in eastern DRC (Credit: UNHCR/Justin Kasereka)

Human Rights abuses intensifying in eastern DR Congo - UNHCR
UN News | September 10, 2021

More than 25,000 human rights abuses have been documented in North Kivu and Ituri, two provinces of Democratic Republic of Congo, this year. According to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, more than 1 million people have been displaced. Learn more >

More than 14,000 Haitians await in a camp at the International Bridge which connects Del Rio, Texas, with Acuña, Mexico (Credit: Veronica G Cardenas/New York Times/Redux/eyevine)

Haitians fleeing and Hotel Rwanda case: human rights this fortnight – in pictures
The Guardian | September 25, 2021

Check out this incredible collection of photos from around the world. View the pictures >

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