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
Can an American activist sue Egypt’s ex-PM? Torture suit a test of diplomatic immunity Mohamed Soltan’s lawsuit against the former interim prime minister of Egypt has thrust the longstanding practice of diplomatic immunity into the spotlight. Egypt
Mother of Iranian sons sentenced claims they were tortured In today's Iran media review, the mother of three brothers who received sentences in an Iranian prison says they were tortured. And Iranian media outlets react to Lebanon's new prime minister. Iran
Turkish human rights lawyer dies after hunger strike Ebru Timtik died on the 238th day of her strike, which she launched to draw attention to what rights groups have described as an unfair trial. Turkey
Suspicion mars death of Egyptian activist in custody An activist has died while in pre-trial detention at a prison in Cairo, shedding light on the state of human rights in Egypt and the fate of thousands of political prisoners. Egypt
Trump, Kadhimi launch new chapter in US-Iraq relations US offers Iraqi prime minister aid, energy deals and continued cooperation against Islamic State. Iraq
Activists continue to be killed in Basra The killing of an Iraqi activist in Bara took place even as Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was visiting Washington; it was just the latest in a series of violent attacks against protesters and others in the southern city. Iraq
Islamist parties challenge Iraqi domestic violence draft law The potential enactment of a domestic violence bill into law has engendered a major struggle between civil society activists and Shiite Islamist parties that believe the law will split families. Iraq
Residents of this Egyptian village forced to leave their homes Forced evacuation and a security campaign targeted the residents of Sayadeen village in Alexandria governorate in northern Egypt. Egypt
In dramatic move, Iraqi PM visits prisons in response to protester appeals The Iraqi government is under pressure to reveal the fate of persons unaccounted for and those detained in secret prisons. Iraq
State Department remains concerned by Turkey’s proxy fighters in northern Syria Turkey-allied fighters have faced widespread accusations of arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings and other abuses in northern Syria. Syria
Iran hangs protester despite calls to halt execution Campaigns led by Iranian human rights activists failed to halt the execution of the protester arrested during anti-government rallies in late 2017. Iran
Australian envoy says academic jailed in Iran doing 'well' Ambassador Lyndall Sachs visited with Kylie Moore-Gilbert Sunday following her transfer to a notorious desert prison last month. Iran
