Global Scans · Civil Rights · Weekly Summary

• [New] Given Canadian news coverage related to libraries, intellectual freedom and censorship was a constant throughout 2024, we can expect it will sustain into 2025. Centre for Free Expression
• [New] 2025 will be another defining year for the challenge of putting human rights at the heart of business. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
• [New] Hard-won gains could be derailed by climate change, conflict and a global backlash against women's rights. UN DESA VOICE
• [New] Countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, by saying no to Israel's grip, have made it crystal clear: peace will not happen without justice and respect for Palestinian rights. Modern Diplomacy
• [New] International humanitarian organizations (such as Human Rights Watch and the ICRC) are pressing for precautionary measures, pointing to the 'accountability gap' and the risk of violating the basic principles of IHL if a machine were to make life-and-death decisions. ARROWS, law firm. Legal services quickly and globally
• [New] Legal frameworks in the US and Europe effectively limit the deployment of fully autonomous weapon systems in environments where there is a risk of lack of discrimination. ARROWS, law firm. Legal services quickly and globally
• [New] IPTV adoption in the USA and UK is projected to grow by double digits in 2025, driven by consumers' demand for streaming freedom. IPTV HIGH QUALITY
• [New] Rights organizations have long accused Israel of subjecting Palestinian detainees to abuse, including starvation, denial of medical treatment, and systematic mistreatment that threatens their lives. Middle East Monitor
• [New] Perhaps Reform UK will win the next election and start to dismantle the Blairite settlement, especially around immigration and human rights. / UK UnHerd
• [New] The SDF and AANES seek guarantees of constitutional rights amid threats from the Islamic State and concerns about sectarian violence. Eurasia Review
• [New] In Authoritarians in the Academy, Sarah McLaughlin unsparingly exposes how foreign pressure, self-censorship, and administrative complicity threaten academic freedom-challenging the notion that universities remain safe havens for open debate. / USA Reason.com
• [New] Racial hatred and vilification of Jewish people is an existential threat to democracy, Australia's top official tasked with fighting antisemitism says. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] The rise of China's dominance comes off the back of a US global retreat, which will have an impact on human rights. The Guardian
• [New] Digital rights watchers are keeping an eye on the Kids Online Safety Act moving through the U.S. Congress, which could impose new duties on platforms to protect minors (though critics worry it may lead to over-censorship) congress. TS2 Space
• [New] Hollywood unions including the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have already fought to restrict the use of AI in film and television production, fearing it could erode both job security and creative rights. ScreenHub Australia
• [New] Intel has announced that it will invest $25 billion in apartheid Israel as Israel's #GazaGenocide continues, signaling its commitment to bolstering apartheid. BDS Movement
• [New] Ensuring equality of gender remains a pressing issue worldwide, with women experiencing various forms of violence, discrimination, and limited access to opportunities. Scribd
• [New] The ongoing suppression of democratic freedom and pervasive human rights violations under military rule has fostered an environment of fear and instability across Myanmar, with no indications that things will improve in the foreseeable future. Springer Nature Singapore
• [New] In a lawsuit in Arizona, the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project said one of its clients is a 12-year-old asylum-seeker who has chronic kidney disease, needs dialysis to stay alive and will need a kidney transplant. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] The risk is that the Bukele model, with all its grave human rights implications, becomes the flavour of the month as elections come up in Chile, Colombia, and elsewhere. Time
• [New] Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Czech Republic have publicly voiced concerns, citing risks to citizens' rights. WebProNews
• [New] Migrant workers in Mexico face heightened risks relating to labour rights, workplace safety and wages - all of which have worsened over the past year. The Conversation
• [New] Tariffs are reshaping migration patterns and, as a result, raising the risk of human rights abuses to workers across global supply chains. The Conversation

Last updated: 14 September 2025