Category: Human Rights

The monthly total also marked a three-year high, topping June’s figure, with HRMMU verifying civilian deaths and injuries in 18 of Ukraine’s 24 regions.   “For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “Only the first three months […]

Bamako, Mali — August 17, 2025 A French national recently detained in Mali has been confirmed as a member of the French embassy in Bamako, according to a statement issued by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The arrest, which took place earlier this week, has sparked diplomatic concern between Paris and Bamako. […]

During the past week, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to help deal with forest fires – many of which are occurring simultaneously across Europe. Yesterday Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for the first time ever for forest fires. The European Commission has quickly mobilised 2 rescEU […]

The 26-year conflict, from 1983 to 2009, pitted Government forces against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – more commonly referred to as the Tamil Tigers – who sought an independent state for the island’s Tamil minority in the north and east. The civil war claimed an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 lives, and […]

UNHCR is supporting at least 60 survivors who have been brought ashore, but the Italian coast guard warned more bodies could still be recovered.   According to local news reports, the passengers were travelling from Libya in the hopes of reaching Italy. Migrants and refugees heading to Italy from the African coast often use leaky […]

(Beirut) – A law that Lebanon’s parliament adopted on July 31, 2025, includes positive reforms for Lebanon’s judiciary but falls short of guaranteeing judicial independence, Human Rights Watch said today.  The law includes some advances in terms of judicial independence, including greater judicial self-governance and the expansion of elections of judges by other judges. But […]

Moscow, August 14, 2025 — Russian authorities have announced partial restrictions on voice calls made through WhatsApp and Telegram, citing the need to combat criminal activity and safeguard national security. The move marks the latest escalation in Moscow’s efforts to tighten control over digital communications amid ongoing tensions with Ukraine and broader concerns over foreign […]

Vienna, August 13, 2025 — The Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ukrainian journalists currently detained by Russian authorities. The appeal follows growing international concern over the treatment of media professionals amid the ongoing conflict. In a statement issued in response […]

EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister of International Development of Norway, Åsmund Aukrust, Minister for Africa of the United Kingdom, Lord Collins of Highbury, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabija Grigaitė-Daugirdė, Secretary of State for International Development of Canada, Randeep Sarai, State Secretary for […]

Many of the victims were Alawite, a minority community in Syria, which the former ruling Assad family belonged to.   Some community members are believed to have been killed in March by forces or individuals loyal to the country’s new leadership, the National Transitional Authority, which is headed by interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. In response […]