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
Lawyers decry lack of justice for jailed activist Kavala in Turkey A Turkish court refuses to free Osman Kavala, who stands accused, along with 15 others, of organizing mass 2013 demonstrations. Turkey
Rights now: Why Palestinian women do not want to wait for liberation Outraged that Palestinian men are getting away with murder, women of Palestine take to the streets and to cinema halls to push for their rights. Palestine
Ticking time bomb: not a license to torture The terrible damage done to Palestinian Samer Arbid, who is suspected of heading a terror cell, could harm Israel much more than the harm that would have occurred had torture not been used on him. Palestine
One year on, Turkish human rights advocates lament inaction on Khashoggi murder One year after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, advocates for human rights and press freedom highlight failures in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s opposition threatens to freeze political activities over crackdown Some Egyptian political parties, reacting to recent arrests made to curtail protests, have threatened to cease political activity to express opposition to the authorities' approach. Egypt
Is new revolution in the making in Egypt? Egyptians protested for the second week in a row against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and government corruption, as authorities widened their crackdown. Egypt
Incitement and the poet: Dareen Tatour's legal victory The Israeli Supreme Court recently declined to review a district court ruling that a poem by Dareen Tatour did not constitute incitement. Palestine
Kuwait asks Saudi Arabia to release Palestinian detainees Kuwait is negotiating to secure the release of dozens of Hamas members who have spent months in Saudi Arabian prisons with no explanation provided. Saudi Arabia
Congress loosens pressure on Egypt just as new anti-Sisi protests emerge Key senators have abandoned efforts to cut Egyptian military aid just as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government clamps down on new protests. Egypt
Moroccan sex 'outlaws' protest criminalization of sex outside marriage Following a Moroccan journalist's arrest for an alleged abortion and extramarital sex, thousands have signed an online petition to end the state's criminalization of sex outside marriage. Morocco
‘I just want to be me’: Being transgender in Lebanon Despite the negativity surrounding the transgender community in Lebanon, social media influencer Gigi tries to use her online fame as a means to help other transgender individuals to express themselves. Lebanon
