Human rights

Defendant Wassim al-Assad appears before the Fourth Criminal Court during the opening session of his trial in Damascus on June 24, 2026.

Syria opens trial of Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted president: What we know

The trial follows another session in the case against Atef Najib, also a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, as Syrian authorities continue prosecuting figures linked to the former regime and its remnants.

Demonstrators take part in a rally against the upcoming NATO Summit early July in Ankara, on June 13, 2026.

Turkey detains 233 ahead of NATO summit, including LGBTQ+ activist Yildiz Tar

The operation included alleged militant suspects as well as LGBTQ+ and leftist activists, raising concerns over the scope of the crackdown.

Hassan Akkad speaks about fleeing Syria in 2015 and his work as a filmmaker at a BAFTA event, Sept. 2023.

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.

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

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.

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Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon bids farewell to Amal Khalil, journalist killed by Israel: What to know

Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, in the southern Lebanese border village of Jebbayn in 2024.

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic gestures during the European Parliament plenary session to prepare the European Council meeting of June 24-25, in Brussels, on June 23, 2021.

Advocates call for greater focus on democratic rights in Turkey ahead of European summit

As European leaders prepare to review EU-Turkey relations in a summit this week, advocates urged greater links between future cooperation and improvements in basic rights and the rule of law in Turkey.

A demonstrator holds a poster picturing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a lit candle during a gathering outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, on Oct. 25, 2018.

Saudi agents who killed Khashoggi received training in the US: NYT

The New York Times reports that four members of the Saudi team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi received training under a contract approved by the State Department.

Protesters blocking a street gesture as Tunisian security forces fire tear gas in the Sidi Hassine suburb on the northwestern outskirts of Tunis on June 12, 2021, amid outrage against policing practices following the death of a youth.

Protests erupt after Tunisia police beat, strip, drag young boy during arrest

Angry protesters took to the streets in Tunisia after security forces brutally attacked a boy and dragged him after he was stripped naked, renewing controversy over civil liberty violations and mistreatment of prisoners in the country.

The photo appears to show the Dubai ruler's daughter, Princess Latifa, vacationing in Spain.

Photo appears to show UAE Princess Latifa in Madrid amid house arrest claims

Princess Latifa has alleged in secret video recordings that her family is holding her captive and she fears for her safety.

United Arab Emirates

Barghouti's wife in her office

Hamas leader says Marwan Barghouti a priority for next prisoner swap with Israel

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh promises the wife of prominent Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti that her husband will be a priority for the next swap deal with Israel.

Egyptian military armored vehicles stand guard at a checkpoint on the edge of Tahrir Square near the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt, Aug. 16, 2013.

Egyptian police search citizens in Cairo ahead of June 30 anniversary

The Egyptian security forces are deployed in Cairo’s streets and main squares, amid calls for protests by Egyptian whistleblower and former army contractor Mohamed Ali.

An Israeli border guard stands by a closed checkpoint entrance leading to the Palestinian village of Nilin west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on May 29, 2021.

Palestinians trapped in Gaza as Israel suspends postal services

Passport paperwork is piling up in post offices, as Israel has prevented mail from entering or leaving the Gaza Strip since May 11, thus preventing many students, patients and those with foreign residencies from traveling.

As oil fires burn in the distance, a man covers his face near the entrance to the besieged city of Basra on March 29, 2003, in Iraq.

Rise in Iraqi cancer cases may be linked to wars, environment

The causes of the spike may be linked to Iraq's wars or environmental pollution, but the evidence is sketchy.

Members of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood are seen inside a glass dock during their trial in the capital Cairo on July 28, 2018.

Egypt's top court upholds death sentences of 12 Brotherhood figures

The defendants were part of a mass trial of supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

An undated picture shows Yemeni coast guards checking a small boat with refugees arriving from Somalia to the Yemeni port city Aden.

Migrants found dead off Yemen's Red Sea coast after boat capsizes

The bodies were found near Ras Al-Ara, a coastal village in the southern Yemeni province that's known as a smuggling hub.

An Egyptian ice cream vendor pushes his cart in the coastal city of Alexandria, May 21, 2016.

Residents of Alexandria district face eviction by Egyptian state

Egyptian security forces are trying to expel residents of a vital area in Alexandria, claiming that their homes were randomly and illegally built.

A general view of the city skyline at sunset from Dhow Harbour on Feb. 5, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

UN expert calls on UAE to release prominent human rights defenders

The five activists are accused of trying to overthrow the Emirati government, but the United Nations says they should have never been detained in the first place.

United Arab Emirates