Oman: Prison for Online Critics
Omani courts have sentenced online activists to prison in two separate cases in February 2016 for their social media posts. Omani activists said that they are seeing a decline in freedom of expression in Oman.
Mali: Abuses Spread South
Atrocities by Islamist armed groups in Mali and abusive responses by Malian security forces have spread south in the past year, engulfing more civilians in the conflict, Human Rights Watch said on February 19. Islamist groups have threatened, raped...
'Bring people in from the margins,' urges UN chief on World Social Justice Day
The United Nations top official on 20 February called on Member States to build inclusive societies free of discrimination, in which all people can live with dignity and opportunities to improve their lives, as he observed the World Day of Social...
Syria: Great Danger to Civilians in Azaz
Attacks on Azaz and a neighboring town in northern Aleppo, Syria, hit two hospitals and a school used by displaced Syrians, killing at least 20 civilians. Witness statements and evidence of the aftermath indicates that the attacks on February 15,...
Egypt: Order to Shut Clinic for Torture Victims
Egyptian authorities should revoke an order that would shut down the most prominent institution in Egypt providing regular medical services and counseling to victims of police torture and other violence.
‘Migrant-bashing has dangerously become the norm’ in Europe – UN rights expert
In November 2015, refugees and migrants protest border restrictions near the Greek town of Idomeni, close...
UN and partner agency inaugurate first child-friendly spaces in West Bank refugee camp
The first ever child-friendly spaces – a football pitch and a playground – were inaugurated on 17 February in Aida refugee camp in the West Bank’s town of Bethlehem by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East...
Darfur: amid fresh violence, thousands of displaced people now gathering near UN mission base
The number of civilians fleeing the recent conflict in the Jebel Marra area in Sudan’s Darfur region has jumped to 73,000 from 38,000, according to United Nations estimates, as some 30,000 people flocked to Sortony, where the displaced have been...
Fighting Over Child Soldiers in the Philippines
There are fresh allegations that the rebel New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is still recruiting children for use as fighters.
Iran: Kish Island Open, Closed Off to Women
Iranian authorities’ decision to prevent women from attending an international beach volleyball tournament this week, despite prior assurances, is a disappointing step backwards for women’s equal access to attend public sporting events. Iran is...
