The Latest Breaking News from Human Rights

The governor-general is in Vietnam at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam, and human rights groups are calling on him to raise the plight of political prisoners in the communist South-East Asian nation.

A clause requiring efforts to respect human rights will be included in the bidding instructions and contracts used when the government purchases products and services from businesses, it has been decided.

The human rights watchdog also noted that a change in the definition could be ‘more ambiguous or potentially disadvantageous’ in other areas of life.

Israel is holding over 1,000 Palestinian detainees without charge or trial, the highest number since 2003, an Israeli human rights group said Tuesday. Israel says the controversial tactic, known as administrative detention, helps authorities thwart attacks and hold dangerous militants without divulging incriminating material for security reasons. Palestinians and rights…