Human rights

People gather during protest on Jan. 8, 2026 in Tehran

Analysis

Iran’s execution drive intensifies as war provides cover for repression

Iran has recently executed more protesters, raising fresh questions about how it is using wartime narratives and global inattention to reshape its approach toward dissent and instill societal fear.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A large screen displays a verse from the Koran reading "My Lord, make this city secure," alongside the Kuwaiti flag and the landmark Kuwait Towers, on a skyscraper in Kuwait City on Sept. 2, 2026.

Kuwait strips 415 more of citizenship as crackdown continues: What to know

Kuwait is seeking to attract wealthy foreigners to reside in the country while escalating its crackdown on citizenships it says were obtained fraudulently.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel

If the Trump administration moves forward with the transfer, dozens of groups are urging lawmakers to seek a joint resolution of disapproval.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Erik Marmor/Getty Images

West Bank settlers attack Israeli activists as Netanyahu claims 'hoax'

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attention surrounding settler violence was a “tremendous hoax.”

Latest News

Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Top European court says Kavala case exposes erosion of judicial independence in Turkey

Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Tunisia’s water, power crisis fuels growing protests against Saied: What to know

Members and supporters of the Nafas movement take part in an anti-government protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, chanting "Degage" and calling for political change, in Tunis,Tunisia on August 20,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

An undated image of Saad Ibrahim Almadi.

Saudi Arabia lifts travel ban on US citizen Saad Almadi

Almadi's release comes during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Fed up with Netanyahu, more Israelis seek European passports

The number of Israelis seeking European passports has increased considerably in a trend that has continued even after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement.

A Palestinian man tries to extinguish flames from a burning truck after an Israeli settlers attack in the village of Beit Lid, east of Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 11, 2025.

Israeli settlers arrested after injuring 4 Palestinians in West Bank rampage: What to know

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that October saw the highest monthly number of Israeli settler attacks since it began tracking the incidents in 2006.

TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 24: A Police officer stands guard as demonstrators wave flags and cheer during a gathering to honor Iran’s military forces, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Iranian authorities announced this morning they would agree to a ceasefire with Israel, whose attacks on Iran's military and nuclear sites on June 13 sparked a daily exchange of missiles between the countries. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Iran’s IRGC says it arrested hacker tied to Israeli Mossad: What we know

Iran has ramped up its crackdown against individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel amid a heated cyberwarfare between the two countries.

Sudanese residents gather to receive free meals in Al Fasher, a city besieged by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than a year, in Darfur region, on August 11, 2025. RSF attacked a famine-hit refugee camp in North Darfur state on August 11, 2025, killing at least 40 civilians and injuring 19 others, rescuers said. Al-Fasher is the last city in the western Darfur region still held by the Sudanese army, at war with the paramilitary group since April 2023. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AF

Aid groups sound alarm on 'atrocities' after RSF captures Sudan's el-Fasher

Sudan’s RSF are facing numerous accusations of rights violations and abuses against civilians following their takeover of el-Fasher city in the Darfur region.

Maj. Gen. Akram Saloum Abdullah, commander of the military police between 2014 and 2015, is pictured on Oct. 22, 2025.

Syria arrests ex-general accused of executions at Assad's 'human slaughterhouse'

The arrest comes as the new government intensifies efforts to hold former government figures accountable for crimes committed during decades of the Assad family’s rule.

TOPSHOT - Palestinians stand near a burning car reportedly set alight by Israeli settlers attempting to disrupt them harvesting olives near the occupied West Bank village of Turmos Ayya near Ramallah on October 19, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's West Bank police chief condemns settler's 'cruel' beating of Palestinian woman

The attack, filmed in Turmus Ayya, comes amid a surge in settler assaults on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.

Former senior commander of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman.

In a first, ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader of Darfur war crimes

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was found guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.

Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, addresses members of parliament in Tehran on March 2, 2025.

Analysis

Reeling from Israel war, Iran expands espionage law, bans Starlink use

Iran has officially enacted a sweeping new espionage law imposing harsher measures — including the death penalty — for collaboration with Israel, as rights activists decry what they say is a new campaign of arbitrary arrests and deeper repression.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

comedy fest

Culture

Saudi comedy festival draws A-list performers, backlash: What to know

The star-studded festival highlights Riyadh’s push to brand itself as a cultural hub even as critics accuse Saudi Arabia of whitewashing its repressive reputation.

Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah looks on from behind the defendant's cage during his trial for insulting the judiciary alongside 25 other defendants including ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was recently sentenced to death, in Cairo on May 23, 2015.

Who is Alaa Abd el-Fattah, iconic Arab Spring activist pardoned in Egypt?

Abd el-Fattah is one of numerous activists to be imprisoned in Egypt and his case has drawn condemnation from the UN and the British government.

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022.

Turkey’s spy chief in Damascus as Israel, Syria weigh new security map

Ibrahim Kalin’s visit comes as Israel presses Syria on a buffer zone plan and Turkey frets over Kurdish autonomy.