News

Three years ago the EU signed a deal with Turkey designed to help share the responsibility for accommodating refugees arriving in Europe from the war in Syria. But in an open letter to European leaders, 25 NGOs have accused the EU of trapping refugees in “unsustainable, ineffective and dangerous” conditions. “We, the 25 undersigned humanitarian, human rights and volunteer organisations call on you, in the run up to the third … Read more →

Fatiha Lakaaj is a grandmother of six children aged from 11 months to seven years. But hers is not the story of fun weekend visits like that of any ordinary grandmother. Fatiha’s story is one of anguish and pain. Between 2013 and 2014 her son Noureddine and his wife Tatiana, as well as her daughter Bouchra, and her son-in-law, flew to Syria to join militant groups with their young children. … Read more →

On 11 March, Iranian defence lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, known for representing women who have protested having to wear the headscarf, was sentenced, whilst in prison without going to court, to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. She was charged with several national security-related offences, all of which she denies. Nasrin, laureate of the Sakharov Prize in 2012, was convicted following a trial held in absentia which also featured a … Read more →

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has released a statement on the UK’s consideration of how to bring back the children of Britons, who left the UK to join militant groups. He said he was working with Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, on how children could be safely returned. “We have been looking at how we can get in touch with these children, how we can find a way to … Read more →

Turkey has expelled three German journalists, igniting fresh concern over deteriorating press freedom in a country with a history of silencing opposition voices. Two of the journalists left the country on Sunday 10 March, while the third is already in Germany. The reporters were given 10 days to leave the country and, according to the BBC, it is the first time Turkey has formally rejected the accreditation of foreign journalists. … Read more →

On 6 March, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet presented her annual report at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report covered human rights issues across the world surrounding women, conflicts and inequalities. In a wide-ranging speech, Michelle Bachelet addressed claims by activists that ten Saudi women are being held for their activism. “Today, allow me to voice my concern at the apparently arbitrary arrest and … Read more →