Human rights

Defendant Wassim al-Assad appears before the Fourth Criminal Court during the opening session of his trial in Damascus on June 24, 2026.

Syria opens trial of Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted president: What we know

The trial follows another session in the case against Atef Najib, also a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, as Syrian authorities continue prosecuting figures linked to the former regime and its remnants.

Demonstrators take part in a rally against the upcoming NATO Summit early July in Ankara, on June 13, 2026.

Turkey detains 233 ahead of NATO summit, including LGBTQ+ activist Yildiz Tar

The operation included alleged militant suspects as well as LGBTQ+ and leftist activists, raising concerns over the scope of the crackdown.

Hassan Akkad speaks about fleeing Syria in 2015 and his work as a filmmaker at a BAFTA event, Sept. 2023.

Culture

In Syria, detention of Hassan Akkad raises alarm about free expression under Sharaa

Akkad, a British-Syrian filmmaker, was detained Wednesday night after his campaign questioning the whereabouts of funds allegedly pledged for relief, reconstruction and community initiatives across Syria.

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank

In a new report, Amnesty International said that the escalating forced displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank is part of a state-led campaign to control the Palestinian territory.

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Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon bids farewell to Amal Khalil, journalist killed by Israel: What to know

Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, in the southern Lebanese border village of Jebbayn in 2024.

Europe parliament

European Parliament overwhelmingly urges EU to designate Iran's IRGC as terrorist

Members of the European Parliament called today on European leadership to add the Iranian revolutionary Guards to the list of terror organizations.

Mourners attend the funeral of Omar Khmour, 14, in the Dheisheh refugee camp, Bethlehem, West Bank, Jan. 16, 2023.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian boy in West Bank

A Palestinian teenager was killed during a night raid amid increasing tensions in the West Bank, signaling more instability and clashes to come, while President Abbas arrives in Egypt for a tripartite summit.

JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP via Getty Images

European Parliament set to debate Iran as members push for IRGC designation

More than 100 EU Parliament members are calling on the European Commission and EU member states to add Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to their terror lists and increase sanctions on Tehran.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A man holds a sign with writing in Hebrew reading "we won't let you go back to the old days of the British Mandate" during a demonstration by lawyers against the Israeli government's controversial plans to overhaul the judicial system, outside the Tel Aviv District Court of Justice on January 12, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel faces internal threat in Netanyahu’s judicial reforms

After warning from Israel’s top opposition leaders, President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut warns that the Netanyahu government judicial reform could crush Israel’s democracy.

A young woman from Syria (seated) reacts to a mild electric current in the gloves she is wearing that is meant to simulate the effect of Parkinson's disease at a jobs fair for refugees that promotes training programs and jobs in the caregiving and health care industries on January 14, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

'I do...I'm done': Divorce spikes among Syrian refugee women in Germany

The transition to their new lives in Germany has led some Syrian women to end their marriages away from the prying eyes of their home communities.

New Israeli Knesset (parliament) speaker Amir Ohana (C) speaks as his partner Alon (L), their children, and newly-sworn Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) attend a toast in his honour at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2022.

Cheers, jeers as Amir Ohana becomes Israel's first LGBTQ Knesset speaker

Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members are being criticized by their religious leadership for voting in favor of appointing openly gay Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker.

Ghassan Banat holds a picture of his brother, late Palestinian activist Nizar Banat, outside the International Criminal Court, after submitting a case accusing top Palestinian officials over his death in custody, The Hague, Netherlands, December 2022.

Family of Palestinian activist appeals to ICC to probe death

One and a half years after his death, the family of Palestinian political and opposition activist Niza Banat filed the first complaint against the Palestinian Authority before the International Criminal Court, accusing the security services of killing Banat.

Palestinians take part in a demonstration demanding the release of Nasser Abu Hamid, a Palestinian prisoner held by Israel who has cancer, Ramallah, West Bank, Sept. 21, 2022.

Cancer-stricken Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody

Nasser Abu Hamid, jailed by Israel since 2002, died on Tuesday morning following a battle with cancer. Palestinian rights groups accuse Israel of negligence.

ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images

Expulsion of French-Palestinian detainee 'clouds' relations with Israel, diplomats say

The French Foreign Ministry criticized Israel for deporting French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri, shortly after ending his nine-months’ administrative detention, and without letting him appeal the expulsion.

Tunisian demonstrators take part in a rally against President Kais Saied, called for by the opposition "National Salvation Front" coalition, in the capital Tunis, on December 10, 2022. (Photo by FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

The Takeaway: Tunisia's Saied visits US, days before controversial elections

Plus, Iran is expelled from a United Nations women's rights body and Morocco's underdog team is knocked out of the World Cup.

A still from the Turkish film "Burning Days."

Culture

Turkey's government wants refund for movie following LGBTQ controversy

The move is widely seen as a fresh episode of the culture war the government has been waging against the country’s artistic scene over critical opinions and queer content.

The delegation from Ethiopia arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on December 11, 2022, to attend the US-Africa Leaders Summit. - The summit will take place in Washington, DC, December 13-15. (Photo by OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

At Biden's first Africa summit, US plays catch-up to China

The three-day summit will bring together African leaders from across the continent, including several with problematic rights records.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights