The Karkh Criminal Court in Iraq on Monday sentenced four individuals to six years in prison for promoting the ideology of the banned Ba’ath Party. The court found the defendants guilty of belonging to and promoting Ba’ath Party ideas, including possession of prohibited materials on their mobile phones, in Kirkuk province during 2025 and 2026. [...]

Zimbabwe authorities have intensified a crackdown on student leaders opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that would extend presidential and parliamentary terms, said Human Rights Watch, adding that the pattern of repression includes abductions, arrests and alleged ill-treatment targeting those tied to opposition activity. The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026 would extend political [...]

A Russian court in St. Petersburg held Monday that the Russian LGBT Network is an “extremist organization,” followed by a nationwide ban on its activities. Amnesty International condemned the ruling as a misuse of anti-extremism legislation to target sexual minorities. According to the group, the decision came after the Russian Ministry of Justice requested closed [...]

A Kuwait court acquitted US-Kuwaiti journalist, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, of all charges, which is expected to end a 52-day detention that has drawn international concern about press freedom and expanding restrictions on speech related to national security. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomed the decision, with CEO Jodie Ginsberg expressing relief at the outcome following [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Tuesday that Texas may require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. In a closely divided en banc decision in Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District, the court reversed a lower court injunction that blocked enforcement of Texas Senate Bill 10, [...]

The UN human rights chief warned on Thursday that Serbia is facing a steady erosion of civic space, with mounting evidence that pressure on journalists, civil society, and political dissent is becoming more systematic. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Serbian officials “to ensure the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful [...]

Cuba announced that it will release 2,010 prisoners as part of a pardon approved under Article 90(II) of the country’s Constitution. The government described the release as a humanitarian gesture undertaken for with Holy Week. The government stated that the decision followed a formal review process. The review considered the nature of the offenses, behavior [...]

As seven protesters and dissidents in Iran face imminent execution after four men were reported to have been secretly and arbitrarily executed within 24 hours, Amnesty International on Tuesday called for global intervention and an immediate halt to all scheduled executions in the country. The organization reported that the executions are tied to Iran’s ongoing [...]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said Thursday that he is “appalled” by a surge in drone attacks on civilians in Sudan. More than 200 civilians are reported killed since March 4 in strikes across the Kordofan region and White Nile state. According to the UN Human Rights Office, the recent [...]

United Nations officials said on Tuesday that US and Israeli airstrikes on fuel depots in Tehran have released large amounts of toxic pollutants, producing acidic “black rain” across parts of the capital. A spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said the attacks raise serious questions about [...]