Culture FIFA rejects Egypt, Iran objections, allows Pride flags at World Cup match The Egyptian and Iranian football bodies previously raised objections over the match to FIFA. Iran
Syria opens trial of Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted president: What we know The trial follows another session in the case against Atef Najib, also a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, as Syrian authorities continue prosecuting figures linked to the former regime and its remnants. Syria
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
Interview As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur Janti Soeripto President and CEO of Save the Children US
Palestinian girls nurture 'Flower' magazine behind bars Two years ago, a small group of teenage Palestinian girls created a secret magazine inside their Israeli prison. Now, they hope to revive it. Palestine
Iranian teenage dancer's arrest sparks backlash as tolerance for radicalism drops The backlash in the wake of Iran’s arrest of an Iranian teenage girl for posting dance clips on social media highlights significantly reduced tolerance for hard-liner excesses among the public. Iran
Netanyahu flip-flops on surrogacy rights for gay men The LGBT community is furious with the Israeli prime minister for going back on his promise to support an amendment allowing single men and gay couples to use surrogates in Israel and has called for massive strikes in protest. Israel
Renewal of anti-terror law threatens human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament has extended an austere law put in place to combat the Islamic State, raising serious concerns about human rights abuses and trials behind closed doors. Iraq
Child abuse case brings outrage, but no change in Iran Just a month after a high-profile child molestation case shook Iran, the outrage has died down and very little is being done to prevent future abuse. Iran
Palestinians cheer US exit from UN Human Rights Council The US withdrawal from the UN's Human Rights Council has given some Palestinians hope for a stronger pro-Palestinian European role without the United States to hold it back. Palestine
Congress presses Egypt on injured US citizen Congress wants Cairo to compensate an American citizen who was grievously injured when Egyptian security forces attacked a tourist group with US-made weapons. Egypt
Israeli bill forbids documentation of IDF abuses Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman claims an Israeli bill criminalizing the filming of Israeli soldiers is meant to protect them from harm, but human rights workers point out that it will also shield them from prosecution. Palestine
Abbas agrees to end death penalty, but Hamas objects Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a protocol to abolish the death penalty, but the measure faces opposition in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas continues to support the sentence. Palestine
Turkey's sharp-tongued rapper faces five years in jail Turkish rapper Ezhel may face up to five years in prison for promoting drug use in his songs. Turkey
Iraqi war correspondents form committee to fight for rights A group of Iraqi war correspondents formed their own association to defend their rights, which they said were being neglected. Iraq
Turkish court keeps US pastor behind bars Turkey’s decision to postpone US pastor Andrew Brunson’s hearing until July may be driven by electoral calculations and attempts at so-called hostage diplomacy. Turkey
