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. Turkey
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. Syria
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. Palestine
Interview As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur Save the Children US President and CEO Janti Soeripto said delivering aid in Sudan remains extremely difficult, with supply trucks often delayed for weeks or months even after entering the country. Janti Soeripto President and CEO of Save the Children US
Egypt sentences blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah to five years in prison Lawyer Mohamed el-Baqer and blogger Mohamed “Oxygen” Ibrahim were also each sentenced to four years in the same case for spreading false news and undermining state security. News Brief
The Takeaway: Did Israeli PM help break deadlock over US weapons sale to UAE? Also: The Gulf and climate; Syrian refugees return from Belarus; Israel expands Golan settlements; Egypt wants assurances on gas pipeline; China-Ethiopia ties unsettle Egypt; Iran threatens sanctions on US; Building Sharjah … all in less than 1,200 words! By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell
Democratic lawmakers urge sanctions on Israel's NSO Group The congressional letter also called for sanctions on three other foreign surveillance firms. News Brief
European court orders Turkey to pay damages to journalist jailed over coup The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey should pay $18,000 to political commentator and former lawmaker Nazli Ilicak for violating her rights. News Brief
Would-be Syrian refugees flown back from Belarus despite visas Belarus has given Syrians two options: cross the border into Poland or be deported. Syria
Al-Azhar rhetoric alarms LGBTQ community Al-Azhar has in recent days stepped up its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, following anti-gay comments by a prominent retired soccer star. Egypt
Kurdish politician's plight highlights Turkey's indifference to critically ill inmates Aysel Tugluk, who defended PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in his trial decades ago, is now suffering from advanced dementia behind bars, despite widespread calls for her release. Turkey
Intel: US announces Iran, Syria sanctions ahead of democracy summit The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iranian and Syrian targets in the run-up to the administration’s virtual gathering of the world's democracies. United States
Government critic elected to lead Union of Turkish Bar Associations Defeating a pro-government incumbent, Ankara Bar Association Chair Erinc Sagkan was elected head of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations on Sunday, pledging to strengthen the rule of law and independence in Turkey’s legal profession. Turkey
EU urged to sanction Israeli cyberfirm NSO Group Dozens of human rights groups called on the European Union to place the controversial cybersurveillance firm on its global sanctions list. Israel
US State Department phones reportedly hacked with Israeli-made spyware The apparent hack targeted US diplomats based in Uganda or officials whose work focused on the country. Israel
Hard-won women's rights at stake in wake of Sudan coup Militarization of civilian spaces, strongly contested by Sudanese women, has resulted in dozens of assaults, arrests and killings, and threatens their presence, movements and lives. Egypt
