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. Syria
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. Turkey
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 Janti Soeripto President and CEO of Save the Children US
The administrative detention threatening Israel-Jordan ties As Israel and Jordan mark the 25th anniversary of their peace treaty, the highly complex and sensitive relationship is being strained further by the ongoing administrative detention of Heba al-Labadi. Palestine
Syrian refugees arrested, face deportation from Egypt Syrian refugees, including women and children, are being detained by the Egyptian authorities under difficult conditions with constant threats of deportation, as some critics describe their treatment as a kind of torture. Egypt
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
