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
Yemen’s warring parties urged to reveal whereabouts of detainees A group of eight human rights organizations called on Yemen's rival factions to urgently release all of their arbitrarily detained prisoners. Yemen
Amnesty International accuses Iran of using torture to extract confessions after 2019 protests Some 7,000 people were arrested by Iranian authorities, including children as young as 10, the rights group reported. Iran
Can an American activist sue Egypt’s ex-PM? Torture suit a test of diplomatic immunity Mohamed Soltan’s lawsuit against the former interim prime minister of Egypt has thrust the longstanding practice of diplomatic immunity into the spotlight. Egypt
Mother of Iranian sons sentenced claims they were tortured In today's Iran media review, the mother of three brothers who received sentences in an Iranian prison says they were tortured. And Iranian media outlets react to Lebanon's new prime minister. Iran
Turkish human rights lawyer dies after hunger strike Ebru Timtik died on the 238th day of her strike, which she launched to draw attention to what rights groups have described as an unfair trial. Turkey
Suspicion mars death of Egyptian activist in custody An activist has died while in pre-trial detention at a prison in Cairo, shedding light on the state of human rights in Egypt and the fate of thousands of political prisoners. Egypt
Trump, Kadhimi launch new chapter in US-Iraq relations US offers Iraqi prime minister aid, energy deals and continued cooperation against Islamic State. Iraq
Activists continue to be killed in Basra The killing of an Iraqi activist in Bara took place even as Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was visiting Washington; it was just the latest in a series of violent attacks against protesters and others in the southern city. Iraq
Islamist parties challenge Iraqi domestic violence draft law The potential enactment of a domestic violence bill into law has engendered a major struggle between civil society activists and Shiite Islamist parties that believe the law will split families. Iraq
Residents of this Egyptian village forced to leave their homes Forced evacuation and a security campaign targeted the residents of Sayadeen village in Alexandria governorate in northern Egypt. Egypt
In dramatic move, Iraqi PM visits prisons in response to protester appeals The Iraqi government is under pressure to reveal the fate of persons unaccounted for and those detained in secret prisons. Iraq
State Department remains concerned by Turkey’s proxy fighters in northern Syria Turkey-allied fighters have faced widespread accusations of arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings and other abuses in northern Syria. Syria
