Category: Human Rights

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 […]

Italy is facing a significant press freedom crisis following the targeting of investigative journalists with sophisticated spyware. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has raised alarms over these incidents, urging Italian authorities to conduct thorough investigations. Spyware Attacks on Journalists In early 2025, Francesco Cancellato, editor-in-chief of Fanpage.it, received a notification from WhatsApp informing him […]

Kosovo’s press freedom has plummeted to its lowest point in over 15 years, dropping to 99th place in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index. This marks a significant decline from 56th place in 2023 and 75th in 2024, positioning Kosovo among the worst performers in Europe and the Western Balkans . Key […]

Brussels, May 2025 –The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, has called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza, now in its ninth consecutive week, warning that the obstruction violates international law and exacerbates civilian suffering. In a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on […]

Sweida, Syria – May 2025:In the latest blow to press freedom in Syria, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has strongly condemned a series of violent assaults on seven journalists in the southwestern city of Sweida. The journalists, who had traveled to the region to cover a newly signed local de-escalation agreement, were detained, threatened at gunpoint, […]

In an important step towards protecting online speech, Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on April 29 issued two rulings that provide important clarifications to the country’s Electronic Information and Transaction Law, used to regulate the internet. For decades, government officials and powerful private actors, including companies and religious groups, have brought criminal defamation lawsuits under the internet law to […]

Ambassadors met for an emergency session to discuss the escalation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Rights chief Volker Türk said he was pained to brief the Council once again on the “catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza,” noting that “the temporary relief of the ceasefire, which gave Palestinians a moment to breathe, has been shattered.”  […]

Major-power cutbacks and delayed payments amidst conflict and insecurity are testing the very principles and frameworks upon which the international human rights infrastructure was built nearly 80 years ago. Human rights need defending now more than ever, which is why the United Nations leadership needs to ensure that its efforts to cut costs don’t jeopardize […]