News

A new leaked file reveals that 860 journalists and citizen journalists were prosecuted, arrested, imprisoned, and in some cases, executed in Iran between the revolution of 1979 and 2009. RSF held a press conference in Paris on 7 February to reveal the existence of this leaked file named the ‘Iranian Justice Data’ file that holds 1.7 million records of judicial procedures. The file is a register of all the arrests, … Read more →

On 4 February, Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi, who has already spent 70 days detained in Thailand, urged a court in Bangkok to not extradite him to Bahrain. Bahrain seeks his extradition after having sentenced him in absentia to ten years in jail for vandalising a police station in 2014 – the same year Hakeem fled the country and was given refugee status by Australia. The 25-year-old, now an Australian resident … Read more →

As Islamic State attempts to hold onto final shreds of territory in Syria, on the ground reports indicate that militants are using women and children as human shields. The SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and US-led coalition forces have suspended attacks in response to the use of human shields. They have also created corridors in the desert through which they are encouraging civilians to come out. SDF’s spokesman for the Deir … Read more →

During a debate on the rule of law in Hungary on 30 January in Brussels, several MEPs called on the Romanian presidency of the EU to put Hungary back on the agenda of the Council of member states. They have also called on EU member states to discipline Hungary’s government, which is led by nationalist and populist prime minister Viktor Orban. Hungary featured on the agenda of the council of … Read more →

On 28 January 2019, Wang Quanzhang, a leading Chinese human rights lawyer, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for defending cases that were seen as sensitive by the Chinese government. He was tried in a closed hearing on 26 December 2018 that lasted just one day. By the time of his sentencing, Wang had already been held by Chinese authorities for more than three years without … Read more →

The political crisis in Venezuela has reached a tragic peak with at least 29 people dying at the hands of security forces, and thousands more fleeing their homes in fear since 23 January. Alongside the growing violence Venezuela is facing humanitarian crisis. A UN Security Council meeting held on 26 January, expressed serious concern as all 30 million Venezuelans are affected by shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies, deterioration … Read more →