Amnesty welcomes acquittal of former Turkey chair, laments new crackdown on rights activists | Turkish Minute

Amnesty International has welcomed the acquittal of Taner Kılıç, a prominent Turkish human rights defender and former chair of Amnesty International’s Turkey branch, after an eight-year legal ordeal but lamented a new crackdown on rights activists and figures from the political opposition in the country.

Iran: ‘Death penalty as a tool of oppression’ | DW

Almost 1,000 people were executed in Iran in 2024. While lawyers and activists protest against the wave of executions, rights activists demand international consequences.

UK may have to leave human rights treaty, says Badenoch | BBC News

The UK must look again at international agreements, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said.

Russian human rights activists conduct first monitoring mission in Ukraine | Meduza

Last month, Russian human rights activists conducted their first monitoring mission in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began.

Israel silencing gov’t critics, rights defenders in effort to ‘hide its crimes’, B’Tselem says | Middle East Monitor

Two bills that recently passed a preliminary reading in the Israeli Knesset “are part of a calculated assault” by the government to “eliminate human rights groups […] silence government critics and stop us from fulfilling our mission to defend human rights,” Israeli rights group B’Tselem has warned.

Thailand deports 40 Uyghurs to China | Bangkok Post

Thailand has deported 40 Uyghur detainees who had been in the country for nearly 11 years, after the government said it received assurances from China that they would be looked after.

Chief of Shah-era security agency hit with $225m lawsuit over Iran torture allegations | Middle East Monitor

A former chief of Iran’s notorious Shah-era security and intelligence agency SAVAK has been hit with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over his alleged torture of former Iranian dissidents and detainees, after decades of hiding from the public eye.

US scraps order linking arms sales to international law | Al Jazeera

The White House has revoked a key policy order linking arms sales to international law on human rights, according to reports.

New York governor orders removal of Palestinian studies positions at Hunter College | Middle East Eye

Hunter College was ordered to remove two job postings for Palestinian studies positions by the Democratic governor of New York in the latest targeting of academic freedom in the state.

Anti-war radio operator released from Russian prison | The Moscow Times

An amateur radio operator jailed for broadcasting anti-war messages has been released from prison in northwestern Russia.