Nine bodies unearthed in Latakia mass grave, one of dozens found in post-Assad Syria As part of the efforts by new Syrian authorities to bring justice to victims of the Assad regime, dozens of mass graves containing thousands of bodies — believed to be victims of former regime forces — have been discovered across Syria. Syria
Turkey blocks Instagram account of leading LGBTQ+ group Kaos GL The ban targeting the group, a leading LGBTQ+ organization, follows earlier bans affecting its website and X account. Turkey
Turkey arrests youth delegate over Council of Europe address: What to know The youth activist’s arrest adds to Ankara’s growing isolation as Turkey faces suspension from Europe’s top human rights body. Turkey
Fears mount over fate of missing Turkmen dissidents in Turkey The pair vanished after being released from a Turkish deportation center, prompting concerns they were abducted or secretly returned to Turkmenistan. Turkey
Biden calls Erdogan ahead of expected Armenian genocide labeling The White House readout of the call between the two leaders did not mention the Armenian genocide. News Brief
Turkish talk of reconciliation angers Armenians on 106th anniversary of genocide Turkey has warned the United States that President Joe Biden's expected characterization of the mass killings of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as a genocide will derail Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and further damage US-Turkish ties. Armenians say there is no reconciliation process to speak of. Turkey
Khamenei critic faces 'imminent death' in Iran prison Relentless pleas from international rights groups and members of the Iranian civil society for the release of outspoken journalist Mohammad Nourizad continue to remain unheeded by Iranian authorities. Iran
Iran, Egypt lead Middle East in executions in 2020 Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia accounted for 88% of executions last year outside of world leader China, according to Amnesty International. Iran
UN experts urge UAE to release princess who claims she's hostage UN human rights consultants have expressed alarm over videos alleging the 35-year-old princess is being held against her will. News Brief
Survey: Increasing number of Israelis would support Arab party joining government The survey by the Israeli human rights group also concluded that most Israelis and Palestinians believe the International Criminal Court's probe into alleged Israeli crimes will not affect policy. Israel
Egypt releases journalist Khaled Dawoud from prison Khaled Dawoud was arrested as part of a sweeping crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019. Egypt
EU blacklist of Iran commanders strikes a nerve in Tehran Tehran said the European Union cannot preach human rights and announced a halt in cooperation with the bloc on fighting terrorism and narcotics after the latter sanctioned Iranian commanders over human rights violations. Iran
EU-Turkey partnership: Anything but honest The latest visit by top European Union officials to Ankara has shown that the European Union has effectively turned its back to its avowed core principles and values vis-a-vis Erdogan. Turkey
EU hits Iranian officials with sanctions over human rights abuses The eight individuals sanctioned include the head of the Revolutionary Guards and the commander of the Basij forces. Iran
Egypt drops decade-old charges against NGOs An Egyptian investigative judge recently dropped charges against 20 NGOs involved in the 2011 foreign funding case that has raised global condemnation, in a move seen as a gesture of goodwill to the United States in order to unfreeze military aid. Egypt
Top EU officials seek improved ties, positive agenda in meeting with Erdogan Focusing on economic cooperation, migration and human rights, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel sought to improve EU-Turkey ties during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on April 6. Turkey
