All articles tagged with #human rights
As US-Iran negotiations in Geneva stall, Iranians face mounting anxiety over a potential U.S. military strike, amid a harsh crackdown on protests, tightening information controls, and soaring inflation that dampens Nowruz preparations; while some look for diplomacy to avert conflict, others brace for a broader war, and many stockpile supplies in a climate of uncertainty.
BBC-verified CCTV and eyewitness accounts show 14-year-old Jad Jadallah was shot at close range during an Israeli raid on Al-Far’a refugee camp in the West Bank and lay bleeding for at least 45 minutes as soldiers stood nearby; ambulances were reportedly blocked and his body remains in Israeli custody, with no independent autopsy comments provided. Israel has withheld Palestinian bodies and labeled Jadallah a “terrorist” without public evidence. The case adds to broader patterns of withheld remains and child fatalities in the occupied territory, with Jadallah one of 55 children killed last year in the area.
The UN’s human rights chief warned that a Taliban decree expands the death penalty, authorises corporal punishment, and criminalises dissent, deepening repression and rights abuses—especially against women—and called for its reversal and a moratorium on executions.
Two women were arrested in Arua, Uganda, after allegedly kissing in public under the country’s anti-LGBTQ law, which could carry life imprisonment for same-sex acts; rights groups warn of rising harassment and fear for LGBTQ Ugandans amid international condemnation.
Lawyers for two Jordanian men detained in Ras al-Khaimah since 2014 have filed petitions with the United Nations alleging arbitrary arrest and mistreatment amid an internal power struggle, seeking their release. Jihad Quzmar and Karam al-Sadeq, convicted on fraud-related charges tied to former Rakia CEO Khater Massaad, describe harsh prison conditions including long solitary confinement; Quzmar faces a 24-year sentence and al-Sadeq more than 20. The petitions to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture request scrutiny and relief; UAE authorities have not commented publicly.
HRANA and partners publish a comprehensive, methodologically cautious record of the first 50 days of Iran’s 2025–2026 nationwide protests, drawing on over 143,000 reports to map geographic spread, state response, and patterns of harm—documenting 7,007 total fatalities (including 236 children), 53,777 arrests, thousands of injuries, and incidents such as forced confessions and summonses—while noting data gaps due to access restrictions and ongoing verification.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that human rights are being pushed back worldwide, citing widespread abuses of international law and civilian suffering in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, while humanitarian needs surge and funding collapses; he urged an end to abuses and highlighted risks to a two-state solution amid Israeli actions in the West Bank.
Alysa Liu secured Olympic gold for Team USA in the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, delivering the first U.S. women’s singles gold since 2006. The piece links her victory to her father’s Tiananmen-era refugee story, notes Chinese government espionage around the Beijing 2022 Olympics, and highlights Liu’s advocacy for human rights in China.
A CPJ report based on interviews with 59 Palestinian journalists detained since Oct 7, 2023 alleges widespread abuse in Israeli prisons, including physical assaults, stress positions, sensory deprivation, sexual violence, and medical neglect, with 58 reporting torture. Many were held under administrative detention (about 48 of the cases). Reports describe mass assaults, dog attacks, electroshocking, and the use of strappado, alongside severe weight loss (average about 23.5 kg). Israeli authorities deny the allegations. The piece also references leaked surveillance footage and broader casualty figures cited by other organizations, noting 94 Palestinian deaths in custody since Oct 2023 and 252 journalists killed since the Gaza war began.
A federal judge issued a scathing ruling condemning the Trump administration's immigration crackdown as a form of 'terror' against immigrants, criticizing aggressive enforcement and signaling renewed judicial pushback against immigration policy.
Former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom calls Olympic skier Eileen Gu a 'traitor' for competing for China, saying she grew up in the U.S. and now represents an alleged rights-abusing regime; Gu defends her choice as support for her mother and says the Games should be about sport, while critics point to China’s alleged abuses and her lucrative sponsorships.
Imran Khan's sons Kasim and Sulaiman, based in London, say their father’s health in a Pakistani jail is deteriorating and have applied for visas to visit him, though no approvals have come. Khan’s lawyers have alleged significant vision loss in his right eye, while a medical board said swelling eased and vision improved. The brothers, who last saw him in late 2022 after living in Britain, urge authorities to grant access to medical care, while Pakistan says procedures are underway and rejects neglect claims; the Supreme Court has asked for treatment details.
Hundreds of thousands joined solidarity rallies for Iran’s anti-government protesters across the globe, with exiled prince Reza Pahlavi in Munich pledging to lead a secular democratic transition; demonstrations also took place in Los Angeles, Toronto, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Sydney and London as rights groups say the crackdown has killed thousands and arrested tens of thousands, while Iran-U.S. talks and regional tensions continue in parallel.
Weeks after Iran's protests were violently crushed, authorities have expanded a nationwide dragnet, with activists citing more than 50,000 arrests though verification is difficult. Detainees are held incommunicado, moved between prisons such as Evin and Qarchak, and targeted across society—from students and doctors to minors as young as 13—while banks, SIM cards, and relatives' property are often confiscated. The death toll remains disputed as international groups call for accountability while crackdown intensifies.
Thousands gathered in downtown Los Angeles for a Global Day of Action in support of Iranians' fight for freedom and human rights, calling for an end to the crackdown and for U.S. intervention; the peaceful demonstration drew participants from LA's Iranian community and highlighted widely varying death-toll figures reported from Iran since December.