Human Rights And Civil Liberties

State-level law enforcement units created after the 2020 presidential election to investigate voter fraud are looking into scattered complaints more than two weeks after the midterms but have provided no indication of systemic problems. That’s just what election experts had expected and led critics to suggest that the new units were more about politics than rooting out widespread abuses. Most election-related fraud cases already are investigated and prosecuted at the local level. The absence of widespread fraud is important because the lies surrounding the 2020 election spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies have penetrated deeply into the Republican Party and eroded trust in elections.

When President Joe Biden speaks about the “scourge” of gun violence, his go-to answer is to zero in on so-called assault weapons. America has heard it many times, including this week after shootings in Colorado and Virginia, that Biden wants to sign into law a ban on high-powered guns that have the capacity to kill many people very quickly. Such a move is still far off in a closely divided Congress. But Biden and the Democrats have become increasingly emboldened in pushing for stronger gun controls, and they're doing so with no clear electoral consequences. The tough talk reflects steady progress that gun control advocates have made.

Illinois legislators have one more chance to finalize the criminal justice overhaul known as the SAFE-T Act. Major portions take effect Jan. 1 and lawmakers have three more days in their fall session to clarify the massive plan. The main point of contention is the plan to eliminate cash bail. Advocates say poor people have to sit in jail awaiting trial because they can't make bail but affluent defendants can pay their way to pretrial release. Legislative changes must be approved by three-fifth majorities in both houses to take effect immediately. Negotiations are ongoing, though Deputy Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth hasn’t shared details.

Fears of aggressive poll watchers sowing chaos at polling stations or conservative groups trying to intimidate votes didn't materialize on Election Day as many election officials and voting rights experts had feared. Voting proceeded smoothly across most of the U.S., with a few exceptions of scattered disruptions. There were no clear indications that new voting laws in some Republican-leaning states disenfranchised voters on a wide scale. Overall, Election Day went better than many expected. But groups focused on threats to American democracy say the biggest challenge is still ahead: the 2024 presidential race.

A 90-year-old Roman Catholic cardinal and five others in Hong Kong were fined after being found guilty of failing to register a now-defunct fund meant to help people who were arrested in the widespread protests three years ago. Cardinal Joseph Zen is a retired bishop and a vocal democracy advocate of the city. He was first arrested in May on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law. At that time, his arrest sent shockwaves through the Catholic community. Principal Magistrate Ada Yim ruled that the fund is considered an organization, not purely for charity purposes. That means it's obliged to register, and all six were convicted Friday. Their fines range from about $300-$500.

Long-time reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim has been sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister. It’s a victory for the political reformers who have been locked in a battle for days with Malay nationalists after a divisive general election produced a hung Parliament. Malaysia’s king named 75-year-old Anwar as the nation’s 10th leader, saying he was satisfied that Anwar is the candidate who is likely to have majority support. Anwar vowed at his first news conference to heal a racially divided nation, fight corruption and revive an economy struggling with rising costs of living. He said his Alliance of Hope will form a unity government with two smaller blocs. Anwar said his government will call for a vote of confidence in him when Parliament reconvenes Dec. 19.

The U.N. Human Rights Council has voted to condemn the bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. A resolution put forward by Germany and Iceland was backed by 25 nations Thursday, including the United States and many European, Latin American, Asian and African nations. Six countries opposed the move — China, Pakistan, Cuba, Eritrea, Venezuela and Armenia — while 16 abstained. The U.N.’s top rights official had earlier appealed to Iran’s government to halt the crackdown against protesters, but Tehran’s envoy at a special Human Rights Council on the country’s “deteriorating” rights situation blasted the initiative as “politically motivated.”

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has stressed the “essential importance” of Italy’s Jewish community for the nation and Europe. She spoke during a meeting Wednesday with the head of the World Jewish Congress and Italian Jewish groups. Meloni’s office issued a readout of the meeting as the premier seeks to distance her far-right Brothers of Italy party from Italy’s anti-Jewish racial laws and the suppression of democracy under Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The statement said during the meeting “there emerged full agreement in the need for a strong and more incisive common commitment to combat every form of antisemitism, a phenomenon in worrisome growth including on the web and social media.”

The U.S. government says it will detain all imports of sugar and related products made in the Dominican Republic by the country's largest sugar producer amid allegations that it uses forced labor. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a written statement Wednesday that an investigation found Central Romana Corporation, Ltd. allegedly isolated workers, withheld wages, fostered abusive working and living conditions and pushed for excessive overtime. A spokeswoman for the company did not immediately return a message for comment. The company has long faced these types of accusations.

The United States has imposed sanctions against three more Iranian security officials in response to the Tehran government’s continued crackdown on protests after the death of Mahsa Amini. She's the 22-year-old woman who died in September while being held by the morality police for violating the country’s strictly enforced Islamic dress code. The Treasury Department says the three officials who are being penalized allegedly assisted in spreading military control over largely Kurdish areas that have “faced a particularly severe security response” since the protests began. The Treasury says Iranians are protesting peacefully "against a regime that denies human rights and fundamental freedoms to its people, especially women and girls.”