Courts and the law

Former senior commander of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman.

In a first, ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader of Darfur war crimes

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was found guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.

People walk past a branch of Turkish bank HalkBank on Dec. 1, 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Supreme Court clears path for Turkey’s Halkbank trial over Iran sanctions

The Turkish president personally raised the Halkbank case with US President Donald Trump at the White House, as Ankara pushes for a settlement to avoid a drawn-out legal battle.

A photo taken during a tour organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transport shows staff loading cargo onto a plane at Beirut's international airport on June 24, 2024.

Lebanon seizes $1.5M in cocaine at Beirut airport: What to know

The country has recently stepped up its fight against drug trafficking, seizing large amounts of cocaine at ports and airports and targeting Captagon production.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) welcomes Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov (L) and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi.

Analysis

How far will China, Russia go in shielding Iran from UN sanctions?

Iran is lobbying states to resist enforcement of UN sanctions — looking particularly to China and Russia to blunt the impact, even as questions remain about the limits of their willingness to act.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Pentagon pushes to accelerate ISIS detainee repatriations from Syria

Women and children walk at the Al-Amal Camp (formerly Al-Jadaa), south of Mosul in northern Iraq, which houses Iraqi families who have been repatriated from Syria's Al-Hol camp, on May 8, 2025.

Meet David Zini, Israel's controversial next Shin Bet chief

Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of the Israeli military Training Command (left), greets an ultra-Orthodox soldier drafted into the Hasmonean Brigade, Jan. 5, 2025.

Syria holds first post‑Assad parliamentary vote: What to know

Interim Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa appears in the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria, on May 27, 2025.

Turkish state takes over Haberturk TV, 120 other firms in fraud probe

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

A Department of Homeland Security officer stands guard at 26 Federal Plaza as protestors gather to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil on March 10, 2025, in New York City.

Hearing delayed after Lebanese doctor with US visa deported: What to know

A Lebanese citizen is the latest in a string of detentions, visa revocations and deportations conducted by the Trump administration.

Khalil protest

Analysis

What Mahmoud Khalil’s ICE arrest means for green card holders, free speech

Mahmoud Khalil’s case sets the stage for a major legal battle in the US, which could have repercussions for the rights of green card holders, free speech and political activism.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa receives the country's constitutional declaration, which will be enforced throughout a five-year transitional period, before signing it at the presidential palace in Damascus on March 13, 2025. Sharaa said he hoped the constitutional declaration would mark the start of "a new history for Syria, where we replace oppression with justice", as he signed the document setting out the transitional period. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty I

Syria's draft constitution: Separation of powers, territorial unity and Islamic jurisprudence

After more than a week of uncertainty amid violent clashes and Israeli strikes, Syria's interim president has signed a constitutional declaration.

AFP via Getty Images

Sudan brings genocide case against UAE at International Court of Justice

Sudan accuses the United Arab Emirates of complicity in genocide over its alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which has been found to have committed atrocities against the Masalit ethnic group in Sudan's West Darfur state.

A voter holds his proof of Kuwaiti citizenship upon arriving at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Kuwait City on June 6, 2023.

Kuwait revokes citizenship of 464 as restrictions tighten under new emir

Over 35,000 Kuwaitis have lost their citizenship since the government enforced amendments to its citizenship law in September of last year.

The Israeli flag flies in front of the Israeli embassy in Berlin, on October 20, 2024. A Libyan suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and links to the Islamic State (IS) group will appear before a judge on October 20, 2024, German prosecutors said. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Germany arrests Russian suspect over alleged plan to attack Israeli Embassy

On Thursday, a Russian national suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy was arrested by German authorities, and in a separate incident on Friday, a stabbing occurred at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin.

Educational Bookshop

After raid, Israel puts Jerusalem bookshop owners under house arrest: What to know

Israeli police raided the Educational Bookshop on Sunday and arrested its owners on charges of “disturbing public order,” a move met with outcry by diplomats.

Yair Golan in Tel Aviv on Feb. 2, 2025.

Interview

Amid Israel's rightward shift, left struggles for relevance

In a special interview with Al-Monitor, Yair Golan, leader of center-left party the Democrats, insists that the Palestinian Authority must play a pivotal role in the future administration of Gaza.

Yair Golan

Yair Golan

Chair of the Democrats Party

The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa waits to greet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not in picture) ahead of a meeting between the Syrian leadership and a Ukrainian delegation to help strengthen ties between the two countries on December 30, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Syria is transitioning after the fall of the Baath regime and the Assad family's rule, with a temporary administration now in place in Damascus and Aleppo. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Syria suspends constitution, declares Ahmed al-Sharaa transitional president

Syria's de facto leadership previously said that new elections could take up to four years and that it could also take several years to draft a new constitution.

LAURENS VAN PUTTEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Senate blocks ICC sanctions bill after Israel arrest warrants

Democrats in the Senate voted on Tuesday to block a bill to place US sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

People carry a banner during a march demanding truth and justice for Kurdish activists, Paris, Jan. 11, 2025.

27 Kurdish civilians, activists arrested in Iran following protests

After protests over the death sentences of Kurdish political prisoners, Iranian authorities arrested at least 27 people across the Kurdistan region.

TOPSHOT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the district court in Tel Aviv for his hearing on corruption charges on December 10, 2024. Netanyahu, the first sitting prime minister of Israel to face a criminal trial, testified for the first time when his corruption case resumed on December 10 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why did Netanyahu agree to Gaza deal, and what are next steps?

The last hurdle before Israel makes the hostage deal official is the Supreme Court.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs