A prominent Bangladeshi magazine editor on bail for charges of plotting to kill the prime minister’s son said Thursday he had been stopped from flying to London to visit his sick wife, despite having high court clearance to travel. Shafik Rehman, who is also a British citizen, said he was prevented from boarding a flight … Read more
An Israeli military court on Tuesday sentenced a soldier to 18 months in prison for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian assailant who lay on the ground, sparking criticism from rights groups. Defence lawyers announced an appeal and right-wing Israeli ministers immediately called for a pardon, while the Palestinian government and the victim’s family condemned the … Read more
An Israeli military court on Tuesday sentenced a soldier to 18 months in prison for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian assailant who lay on the ground, sparking criticism from rights groups. Defence lawyers announced an appeal and right-wing Israeli ministers immediately called for a pardon, while the Palestinian government and the victim’s family condemned the … Read more
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir vowed Tuesday that government would ensure aid could reach areas hit by famine after three years of war that has restricted access for humanitarian workers. The world’s youngest nation on Monday declared famine in parts of the northern Greater Unity state where 100,000 people were facing starvation and another one … Read more
Upcoming Syria peace talks remain focused on negotiating a “political transition” in the war-ravaged country, the UN mediator’s office said Tuesday, following concern the UN was backing away from that aim. United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura had appeared reluctant in recent days to use the term “political transition” — a term the opposition has … Read more
Rights groups on Tuesday urged the Thai army to drop defamation charges against three activists over a landmark report on torture in the conflict-hit south, decrying the prosecution as an effort to silence critics. A state prosecutor is considering whether to press on with the controversial case against Pornpen Khongkachonkiet — the chair of Amnesty … Read more
Women have revealed the horrors they endured at the hands of ISIS sex slaves – despite being Sunni Muslims just like their captors. Abuses against Yazidi women have been well documented under the terror group’s brutal rein in parts of Iraq and Syria. But according to Human Rights Watch there is now evidence that Sunni … Read more
Cambodia’s parliament passed a law Monday giving judges sweeping powers to dissolve political parties, a move seen as a brazen attempt by premier Hun Sen to checkmate his opponents ahead of next year’s polls. Hun Sen, who for three decades has led the country with force and political guile, has used the kingdom’s pliant courts … Read more
Fighters from the Islamic State group, whose abuses against Yazidi women have been well documented, are raping and torturing Sunni Arab women too, Human Rights Watch said Monday. The watchdog documented cases of arbitrary detentions, beatings, forced marriages and rape by the jihadists on women who have fled the town of Hawijah, which is still … Read more
Hundreds of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution in Myanmar have returned home, community leaders said Sunday, adding that most had gone back temporarily to fetch relatives. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled across the border from Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine since October to escape a bloody crackdown by troops and … Read more
A UN investigative panel is pressing the Syrian government to hand over the names of commanders, military units and other entities suspected of carrying out chemical attacks, according to a report released Friday. The joint panel of the United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has concluded that Syrian forces were … Read more
The United Nations remains wary of security in the Central African Republic as violence persists in the outskirts of the capital. UN envoy Herve Ladsous told the Security Council the new upsurge of violence warrants continued international support. Already, some 100,000 people have fled their homes and more than half of the population needs humanitarian … Read more
An air strike killed eight women and a child at a funeral reception near the Yemeni capital, witnesses said Thursday, adding to the conflict’s mounting civilian death toll. At least 10 other women were wounded in the overnight raid on the district of Arhab, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Sanaa, medics sent to the … Read more
Syria’s government on Wednesday fiercely denied accusations by Human Rights Watch that it used chemical weapons in its battle for Aleppo, shrugging off the group’s report as “unprofessional and unscientific”. In a major report released Monday, Human Rights Watch said Syrian government forces had carried out at least eight chemical attacks in late 2016 as … Read more
Clashes have forced 600 people to flee their homes in central Mali as traditional herding communities battle with farmers over accusations of jihadist infiltration and land use in areas hit by climate change. Malian television said Tuesday night hundreds had fled villages close to the city of Macina after clashes between Fulani herders and Bambara … Read more
A cabinet minister who claimed to have ordered police to torture rape suspects should be investigated for human rights abuses, Amnesty International has said. Uma Bharti, in charge of water resources, told supporters last week that she used to order rape suspects to be beaten in front of their victims and then have salt and chillies … Read more
A huge newly-built Ethiopian dam is cutting off the supply of water to Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, threatening the livelihoods of some 500,000 people in both countries, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The rights group released these satellite images showing the increase in water near the dam, and the receding coastline of Lake … Read more
A huge newly-built Ethiopian dam is cutting off the supply of water to Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, rights group Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The Gibe III dam, along with a network of sugar plantations, has caused the depth of Lake Turkana to drop by 1.5 meters from its previous levels since the … Read more
Amnesty International called on Tuesday for an Indian cabinet minister to be investigated for human rights abuses after she claimed to have ordered police to torture rape suspects. Water resources minister Uma Bharti caused a storm last week when she told supporters that she used to order rape suspects to be beaten in front of … Read more
Syrian government forces carried out at least eight chemical attacks during the final weeks of the battle for Aleppo, killing nine people, among them four children, Human Rights Watch said Monday. The rights group said it interviewed witnesses, collected photos and reviewed video footage indicating that chlorine bombs were dropped from government helicopters during the … Read more