Category: Human Rights

By Solomon Alaka | Based on reporting by Jurist and Human Rights Watch Vietnamese authorities have leveled new charges against jailed human rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong, intensifying what rights observers describe as a sweeping and systematic crackdown on peaceful dissent. Currently serving a 10-year sentence under Article 117 of Vietnam’s penal code—commonly used to […]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for the immediate release of Veronika Orlova, a journalist with the independent Russian media outlet SOTAvision, who was sentenced to 13 days of administrative detention after filming emergency services responding to an anti-government protest in Moscow. Orlova was arrested on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, near Bolshoy Moskvoretsky […]

In Mali on Thursday, two political opposition leaders went missing, sparking fears they may have been forcibly disappeared. Abba Alhassane, 68, is the secretary general of the opposition party Convergence for the Development of Mali (Convergence pour le développement du Mali, or CODEM). His colleagues said that on May 8, 2025, masked gunmen claiming to […]

The Quartet is calling on the country’s leaders to end hostilities and return to dialogue to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement known as the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011 but soon descended into a […]

“Without funding, asylum seekers are left in limbo – undocumented, unsupported and increasingly desperate,” said Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. Her comments follow a 41 per cent budget cut to the UN agency’s operations in the country that have had devastating consequences. “This is not about luxuries; the assistance we’re cutting is critical […]

The United States has announced a new initiative to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, with operations expected to commence “very soon,” according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. This plan aims to address the severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has been in place since March 2025. […]

Six months after the unexplained disappearance of Mapuche land defender Julia Chuñil, Chilean civil society has intensified its demands for justice and accountability. On May 9, 2025, under persistent rain, hundreds of activists rallied in Santiago and across the country, denouncing the state’s inaction and the media’s silence regarding her case. A Life Dedicated to […]

Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash has arrived in Paris after a perilous escape from Moscow, where she faced up to 10 years in prison for social media posts critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Assisted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Barabash dismantled her electronic monitoring bracelet and traveled clandestinely over 2,800 kilometers to evade authorities. RSF […]

(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities should immediately release the prominent human rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong and drop all charges against him, Human Rights Watch said today. In April 2025, the authorities in Quang Nam province charged Trinh Ba Phuong under article 117 of the penal code with anti-state propaganda. He was already serving a 10-year prison […]

The landmark decision, announced on Thursday, also considered the harm caused to succeeding generations. “Forced displacement is permanent in nature until the victims benefit from a safe and dignified return to their place of habitual residence or are voluntarily resettled elsewhere,” said Committee member Hélène Tigroudja. Conflict, displacement and violations The Committee found that the […]