Over 400 detained in Istanbul’s May Day protest as Turkey restricts transit The demonstrations, which marked the first major opposition rally since mass protests roiled the country last month over the Istanbul mayor’s arrest, were met with tight restrictions. Turkey
Pope Francis, voice for Middle East peace and first to visit Gulf, dies at 88 Pope Francis died on Monday after serving as pontiff for 11 years, advocating for human rights and inclusion in the Middle East and beyond. By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Oscar-winning Palestinian director freed from Israeli detention after night in custody Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank as the Israeli army continues its raids in the Palestinian territory. Palestine
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. United States
Analysis Can Hamas defy Trump's ultimatum as Gaza ceasefire teeters? By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Nawal el-Saadawi, renowned Egyptian writer, dies at 89 As a prominent Egyptian feminist, doctor and novelist who wrote more than 50 books on taboo social issues in a deeply conservative country, Saadawi fiercely campaigned for the end to the practice of female genital mutilation. Egypt
Republican congressman introduces Iran human rights bill for Persian new year The bill introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina would require investigations into alleged Iranian state human rights abuses. News Brief
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Lawsuit filed to close pro-Kurdish party after lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party deputy known to focus on human rights abuses, was stripped of his parliament seat and a lawsuit was filed to close the party March 17. Turkey
'Scores' of migrants burned to death from Houthi projectiles in Yemen: HRW Human Rights Watch accused Houthi security forces of firing "unidentified projectiles" into a migrant detention center earlier this month. Yemen
US, Western countries jointly condemn Egypt’s rights abuses Thirty-one member countries at the UN Human Rights Council issued a rare rebuke of Cairo's crackdown on peaceful dissent. Egypt
Tunisian LGBT activist imprisoned after reporting police harassment The concerns of civil society organizations and the international community have grown stronger regarding restrictions on personal freedoms after a Tunisian court ruled against LGBT rights activist Rania Amdouni. Tunisia
US hits Iranian officials with travel restriction over ‘gross human rights violations’ For the first time, the Biden administration targets alleged IRGC interrogators over inhumane detention of protesters. United States
British-Iranian aid worker released from house arrest in Iran, faces new trial Following the completion of her five-year prison sentence, Iranian authorities have charged Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with "spreading propaganda." Iran
At least 10 fuel porters, protesters killed in Iran's southeast: UN Last month, Iranian security forces reportedly fired on group of people transporting fuel across the Iranian border with Pakistan. Iran
