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Human rights

Human rights
Latest news, features and analysis on human rights, with a focus on civil liberties in Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
A US Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber on the tarmac at RAF Fairford base in Fairford, south west England, on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Britain

UK police arrest 5 on terrorism charges near airbase used by US in Iran war

The men were arrested near RAF Fairford, a UK-owned base that is operated by the US under a Cold War agreement.

Africa

South African police probe mining feud shooting, 27 dead as elections near

France

Pope meets victims of sex abuse, urges ‘wise leaders’ as French election looms

Italy

Italy to ban burkas in schools, with 30% cap on pupils with poor Italian

The move comes ahead of Italy’s election next year, in which PM Meloni’s party faces pressure the even further right National Future party.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivers closing remarks at a rally celebrating her government’s record as the longest-serving administration in Italy’s republican history, in Bari, Italy on September 4. Her Cabinet has now adopted the measures by decree. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Actors, politicians among 100 arrested in New York anti-Netanyahu protest

Police detain Oscar winner and fellow activists blocking traffic near the UN ahead of diplomatic speech.

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United States

‘Fundamentally broken’: Amnesty urges US to abolish ICE

Report finds US government implementing system of mass detention fueled by racist, xenophobic rhetoric.

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Middle East

Netanyahu blasts critics at UN, dismissing Gaza genocide accusations

Israeli prime minister denounces walkout delegates as ‘moral cowards’ during a fiery address defending the war against Iran.

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly. Photo: Reuters
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to delegates walking out. Photo: Reuters
Empty seats in the UN General Assembly Hall. Photo: Reuters
Empty seats and a photo of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Photo: AP
Notes mentioning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Photo: Reuters
Britain

UK far-right activist charged after migrant boat slashed in English Channel

Police said a 37-year-old man was detained and charged with one count of criminal damage and one of failing to disclose the PIN to his phone.

Middle East

Trump’s Board of Peace proposes US$2.45 billion Gaza reconstruction plan

Physical damage across Gaza will cost roughly US$35.2 billion in the medium term and another US$71.4 billion in the next 10 years.

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Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Video | Chinese live-streamer held for US$90,000 ransom in Myanmar

Chinese state media said Wang Ran was first lured to Thailand and later told a friend she was being held against her will in Myanmar.

Chinese state media said Wang Ran was first lured to Thailand and later told a friend she was being held against her will in Myanmar
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Myanmar

Beatings, electric shocks, burns: women endure torture in Myanmar prisons

Human Rights Watch said detainees routinely experienced systemic abuse and life-threatening medical neglect.

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A prison in Yangon, Myanmar. According to Human Rights Watch, female prisoners in the country suffer brutal torture and sexual violence. Photo: AP
Americas and the Caribbean

Nicaragua govt responsible for at least 8 deaths in custody since 2018: UN

Experts also documented the disappearance of at least 161 people since 2018, when a crackdown on dissent began after mass protests.

United States

Man shot by ICE in Texas says bullet still inside him

Lawyer says Venezuelan DoorDash driver is experiencing left-side paralysis following Austin encounter.

Africa

UK brings first charges over the 1994 Rwanda genocide

Vincent Brown, 65, is accused of inciting and aiding murders of Tutsis after seven-year British investigation.

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The skulls and bones of Rwandan victims at a genocide memorial outside Kigali. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

US prepares sanctions against the ICC: sources

Trump administration readies entity-wide measures that could severely disrupt tribunal’s war crimes probes.

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Rapper Macklemore’s US$1 million pledge highlights Palestinian suffering

‘There are children dying every single day’: non-profit leaders have welcomed both money and renewed public awareness.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

China hawks join forces in US Congress to pressure Trump ahead of Xi’s visit

Trump administration criticised for focusing on achieving economic gains from Beijing while neglecting political and human rights issues.

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Rodrigo Duterte

Video | Rodrigo Duterte appears in ICC courtroom for first time

The former Philippine leader’s trial over his ‘war on drugs’ that killed thousands starts on November 30.

The former Philippine leader’s trial over his ‘war on drugs’ that killed thousands starts on November 30
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Malaysia

Malaysia to invite Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing for Rohingya repatriation talks

Anwar Ibrahim says it is necessary to formally recognise Minh Aung Hlaing’s government if Malaysia wants to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

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Crime

Former Kosovo president Thaci gets 25 years in prison for war crimes

A tribunal said Thaci was guilty of the murder of 96 political opponents during the 1990s conflict with Serbia.

Singapore

Singapore is open to chemical castration, but what are ethical, health concerns?

Experts point to considerations on who receives the treatment, duration of the process and whether it is proportional to the offence.

Singapore’s city centre. The country recently strengthened its framework for dealing with high-risk sexual and violent offenders. Photo: Xinhua
France

France apologises for criticising US’ human rights record after backlash

France’s permanent mission to the UN expressed regret over a social media post questioning Washington’s commitment to human rights.

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France’s permanent representative to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Friday. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Syria

Alarm as Syria plans private jet hub on former torture site

Rights groups warn turning Mezzeh airbase into a VIP airport could destroy mass graves and evidence of Assad-era atrocities.

Britain

UK lawmakers reject bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales

The bill had proposed allowing adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval.

Italy

Emma Bonino, Italy’s activist politician, dies aged 78

Bonino was a passionate advocate for social justice and gender equality who deliberately courted controversy to advance her many causes.

Italian senator Emma Bonino looks on during an event in December 2019. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Lives ‘at serious risk’ as Gaza’s hospitals, homes battle fuel shortages

Doctors say hospitals have resorted to rotating power cuts between buildings, putting patients in ‘severe danger’.

A Palestinian man walks near damaged ambulances and vehicles, amid shortages of fuel and oil needed to run the generators, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on September 3. Photo: Reuters
European Union

Nicaragua accuses Germany of ‘multiple violations’ of law in Gaza genocide case

Nicaragua says Germany has breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention with its support, notably arms shipments, for Israel.

United States

UN demands accountability over deaths in US immigration custody

Human rights chief voices alarm over rising detention fatalities and reported ICE plans to deploy electric shock gear.

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