Human rights

Iranian soldiers keep watch at a patrol post in Zabol, southeastern Iran, near the Afghan border, on Oct. 10, 2012.

Analysis

Militant merger in Iran’s Baluchistan signals new threat to Tehran

The group’s outreach to broader ethnic communities reflects a strategic bid for wider legitimacy and a role in the wider struggle against the Islamic Republic.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A fan waves a Pride flag before the soccer match between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field, on June 3, 2023, in Seattle, Washington.

Culture

World Cup: Iran fumes over LGBTQ+ themes as Jordan qualifies for first time

Morocco is hoping to build on its historic run in 2022, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others in the region similarly vying to build on recent successes.

Security personnel from the Syrian Ministry of Interior stand outside the Justice Palace ahead of the first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year, in Aleppo on November 18, 2025. The first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year began on November 18, an AFP journalist in the courtroom said. The massacres in March, whic

Feature

A year since Assad’s fall, Aleppo trial tests Syria’s transitional justice

Syria recently launched its first open trial on the deadly sectarian violence in March, but questions about judicial independence and political influence make the upcoming hearings a major test of accountability in post-Assad Syria as the first anniversary of Assad’s fall approaches.

Alessandra Bajec

By Alessandra Bajec

Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli is pictured in this undated image.

Turkey sentences journalist over 4 years in jail for threatening Erdogan

Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli was sentenced to over four years in prison in a trial government critics say aimed at silencing one of Turkey's most influential journalists and intended to intimidate journalists nationwide.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia lifts travel ban on US citizen Saad Almadi

An undated image of Saad Ibrahim Almadi.

Fed up with Netanyahu, more Israelis seek European passports

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Israeli settlers arrested after injuring 4 Palestinians in West Bank rampage: What to know

A Palestinian man tries to extinguish flames from a burning truck after an Israeli settlers attack in the village of Beit Lid, east of Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 11, 2025.

Iran’s IRGC says it arrested hacker tied to Israeli Mossad: What we know

TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 24: A Police officer stands guard as demonstrators wave flags and cheer during a gathering to honor Iran’s military forces, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Iranian authorities announced this morning they would agree to a ceasefire with Israel, whose attacks on Iran's military and nuclear sites on June 13 sparked a daily exchange of missiles between the countries. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Israeli soldiers of the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox battalion "Netzah Yehuda" take part in their annual unit training in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights, near the Syrian border on May 19, 2014. The Netzah Yehuda Battalion is a battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel military which was created to allow religious Israelis to serve in the army in an atmosphere respecting their religious convictions. AFP PHOTO/MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

As pressure mounts, US delays plan to withhold aid from Israeli military unit

The State Department's plan to block a notoriously violent Israeli military unit from receiving US security assistance could help address what some say is a failure to hold Israel to the same standards as other US arms recipients.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2-R) arrives for group photo with (L-R) Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Israel war cabinet meets as Egypt proposes three-phase Gaza cease-fire plan

Reports suggest that Egypt has taken the lead on a new round of talks with Hamas and has presented Israel with a fresh proposal for a hostage-release and truce deal.

Israeli soldiers of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion hold morning prayers as they take part in their annual unit training in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights, near the Syrian border, May 19, 2014.

Analysis

Inside Netzah Yehuda Battalion, Israel’s army unit bracing for US sanctions

In an unprecedented move, the Biden administration is set to sanction the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which is accused of violating the human rights of West Bank Palestinians.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

US, EU slap sanctions on Israeli Jewish supremacist, extremist settler groups

The European Union and the United States have published new lists of radical Israeli individuals and groups to be sanctioned.

Can be credited "Courtesy of the Middle East Democracy Center"

2 American activists jailed in Saudi Arabia return home after travel ban

Dual citizens Salah al-Haidar and Bader al-Ibrahim are back on US soil, but the Biden administration is still pushing for the release of several other Americans held under travel bans.

This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli tank moving along the border with the Palestinian territory on March 20, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

After Cairo talks, Israel says 'updated' Gaza truce deal on the table

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a new deal is now on the table for the release of hostages, awaiting response by Hamas.

A display of photos of protesters killed during a candlelight vigil on the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in Iranian custody, Washington, DC, Sept. 16, 2023

Iran continues crackdown on women as executions approach 100 for the year

Iran handed prison sentences to 11 activists defending women’s rights and has executed 98 people this year.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing after Israeli bombardment on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 21, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza

Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war.

Washington Pulse

Lebanese protesters burn tyres during a demonstration called for by the banks depositors committee against monetary policies, on May 9, 2023.

Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt rank least happy countries in Middle East

The Middle East and North Africa are the two regions where “happiness has fallen at every age.”

People inspect damage and recover items from their homes following Israeli air strikes on March 19, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza.

Rights groups warn US over Israel's assurances on weapons use

In a report to the Biden administration, Oxfam and Human Rights Watch challenged Israel's assertion that it's using US weapons in accordance with international law.

Iranians carry the coffins at the Shah Cheragh shrine of Shiraz on April 15, 2008 during the funeral of the people who were killed in a mosque blast on April 12 in the southern city of Shiraz.

Iranian court orders US to pay $2.5 billion over 2008 bombing

The Islamic Republic accuses Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen and US resident, of involvement in a 2008 bombing in relation to his work with an Iranian monarchist group, but his trial was unfair, according to a rights watchdog.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the joint press conference of presidents of Turkey and Iran in Ankara, on January 24, 2024. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Fidan set to visit Venezuela and meet Maduro

The Turkish foreign minister is set to make his inaugural visits to Venezuela and Mexico in his capacity as his country’s top diplomat.