Culture In Syria, detention of Hassan Akkad raises alarm about free expression under Sharaa Akkad, a British-Syrian filmmaker, was detained Wednesday night after his campaign questioning the whereabouts of funds allegedly pledged for relief, reconstruction and community initiatives across Syria. Syria
Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank In a new report, Amnesty International said that the escalating forced displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank is part of a state-led campaign to control the Palestinian territory. Palestine
Interview As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur Save the Children US President and CEO Janti Soeripto said delivering aid in Sudan remains extremely difficult, with supply trucks often delayed for weeks or months even after entering the country. Janti Soeripto President and CEO of Save the Children US
Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel." United States
Interview Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable' Ehud Olmert Former Israeli prime minister
US, Egypt conclude first 'strategic dialogue' under Biden In a joint statement, the two countries pledged to continue their dialogue on the US-Egypt strategic partnership, regional cooperation and human rights. Egypt
Report documents Syrian regime detaining, killing health workers A new report from Physicians for Human Rights found that health care workers who provided care to injured protesters in the early days of the Syrian civil war were at increased risk of abuse by the government. Syria
Palestinian rights defenders hacked with NSO's Pegasus, report finds The investigation found one of the hacked devices belonged to an American citizen. Israel
Egypt hopes new massive prison complex will improve country's image Cairo has opened a rehabilitation center for prisoners designed according to American standards and big enough to serve a quarter of the country’s inmates. While some citizens have hailed the move, other say it's meant to distract from the country's human rights record. Egypt
US blacklists Israel's NSO Group for 'malicious' cyberactivities The Biden administration placed to two Israeli cyberfirms, NSO Group and Candiru, on the US Commerce Department’s blacklist. Israel
Ankara faces new calls to release philanthropist Osman Kavala On the fourth year of his imprisonment, Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala issued a statement from prison, expressing hope that others will face a fairer trial. Turkey
Erdogan slams Western envoys who urged philanthropist's release Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned a joint statement issued by the United States and nine other countries that called on Ankara to end its four-year detention of Osman Kavala. Turkey
Refugees returning to Syria face reprisals from government The rights organization documented arrest, arbitrary detention, torture and other forms of abuse among Syrian refugees who returned to their home country from Lebanon and Jordan. Syria
Ankara summons 10 ambassadors over call to free Turkish philanthropist Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of the United States, Germany and France, among others, after they called for the release of Osman Kavala, a Turkish philanthropist jailed over four years without conviction. Turkey
Jailing of terminally ill Gulen disciple stirs hearts across Turkey's ideological divide Ayse Ozdogan, an imprisoned end-stage cancer patient, has been denied release, despite a recommendation by a government-run hospital. Turkey
UN vote shuts down Yemen war crimes investigations Twenty-one member states voted against renewing the UN Human Rights Council's mandate to investigate war crimes in Yemen. Yemen
Syrian opposition chief: US sanctions a deterrent for Turkish proxy fighters During an interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian National Coalition President Salem al-Meslet discussed recent US sanctions on Ahrar al-Sharqiya, the human rights situation in northern Syria and the US military presence in the war-torn country. Syria
