Category: Human Rights

Brussels, April 15, 2025 — The European Union has imposed fresh sanctions on seven Iranian prison and judiciary officials, citing Iran’s alleged use of arbitrary detention against European citizens as part of a state-driven strategy of political hostage-taking. The sanctions, announced Monday following a meeting of EU foreign ministers, include asset freezes and travel bans […]

April 2025 — In a rare display of prompt response, law enforcement authorities in India have swiftly arrested suspects in the murders of three journalists across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh this year — actions that have been cautiously welcomed by the press community in a country where convictions in such […]

Moscow, April 15 (2025) – A Moscow court has sentenced four journalists to five and a half years in prison each for allegedly collaborating with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s banned Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), in a ruling that has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates. The journalists – Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin […]

The death of 25-year-old Sathsara Nimesh while in police custody has reignited long-standing concerns over alleged police brutality and custodial abuse in Sri Lanka, triggering protests, a legal outcry, and an official investigation. A Controversial Arrest and Unanswered Questions Nimesh, a trainee caregiver from Badulla, was detained by police on April 1 in Colombo after […]

Last week, the authorities in Tanzania arrested opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu on fabricated charges, then used his party’s calls for electoral reform to disqualify it from participating in upcoming elections. The government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan has previously repressed the political opposition and critical voices.  The authorities charged Lissu with treason and “publishing false […]

To help address the difficult humanitarian situation in Sudan, the European Commission and Member States have pledged €522 million in aid for 2025 at the High-level Conference for Sudan, co-hosted in London today by the Commission alongside the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the African Union. This comes after two years of armed conflict which […]

On April 12, 2025, the residence of Bubacar Turé, President of the Guinean League for Human Rights (LGDH), was forcibly entered by unidentified individuals in Bissau. The operation lacked a warrant and occurred in the early hours, causing distress among his family members. Turé, a prominent human rights advocate and jurist, was not present during […]

The latest attacks, which began on 11 April, saw Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-affiliated forces launch coordinated assaults on Zamzam and Abu Shouk – two of the largest camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Darfur – as well as the regional capital, El Fasher. Among those killed were 23 children as well as nine humanitarian […]

The United Nations has condemned Myanmar’s military junta for obstructing humanitarian aid following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025. The earthquake resulted in over 3,500 deaths and left millions in urgent need of assistance. Military Obstruction of Aid Efforts Despite a declared ceasefire on April 2, the military […]

(Brussels, April 14, 2025) – Frontex, the European Union’s Border and Coast Guard agency, should ensure that its aerial surveillance capacity is used to save lives at sea, Human Rights Watch said today. The organization met with Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens on April 2, 2025, to deliver an EU-wide petition calling on the agency to […]