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Human rights

Human rights
Latest news, features and analysis on human rights, with a focus on civil liberties in Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City on new year’s eve. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Gaza clings to Medecins Sans Frontieres following Israeli aid ban

Israel announced it would ban 37 aid groups, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from for failing to provide information on Palestinian staff.

United States

‘Inviting danger’: Trump’s immigration crackdown sparks violent confrontations

Singapore

Singapore steps up migrant worker reforms amid calls for deeper change

Middle East

‘Tools of repression’: crackdown fears grow as Iran rocked by new rallies

Activists warn authorities could intensify suppression of the protests under cover of the internet blackout.

A frame grab from video shows a fire as people protest in Tehran, Iran, on Friday. Photo: UGC via AP
Middle East

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

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Iran

Protests sweep Iran amid internet blackout and state TV warning of casualties

Iranian state media breaks silence on protests as internet and phone access is restricted amid widening unrest.

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Iran

Video | Iran shuts down internet amid growing protests

The latest unrest, sparked by Iran’s worsening economy, has led to the deaths of at least 35 people.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela frees opposition figures and activists, which Trump says US requested

The releases are the first by Venezuela’s new leaders in an apparent concession to the US after its ouster of Nicolas Maduro.

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Israel-Gaza war

‘Where is the ceasefire?’: Israeli gunfire kills 11-year-old in Gaza ‘safe zone’

Despite the agreement, Israel has killed 424 people since the ceasefire started nearly three months ago.

US immigration

Video | ICE officer shoots woman dead in US immigration operation

Bystander video shows an ICE agent firing at the vehicle, killing the 37-year-old woman who allegedly tried to run over ICE agents.

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers work the scene of a shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
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Israel

UN accuses Israel of subjecting Palestinians in West Bank to ‘apartheid’

For first time, UN rights chief labels situation in occupied Palestinian territories ‘apartheid’, a term previously used only by UN experts.

Israeli security forces check Palestinians’ IDs as they line up to return to Jenin through a gap in a security fence in September 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE
Indonesia

Indonesia’s criminal law overhaul prompts fears of rights erosion

Observers say the new Criminal Code and revised Criminal Procedure Code entrench provisions that undermine democracy.

Middle East

Iran protests death toll hits 35 and 1,200 detained, activists say

Iran’s judiciary vows ‘no leniency’ for rioters as nationwide unrest enters its second week.

Britain

Mobile seizure powers launch in UK crackdown on people smugglers

New UK laws allow officers to seize SIM cards and mobiles to gather intelligence on smuggling operators.

Migrants try to board a smuggler’s boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France. Photo: AFP
Middle East

At least 16 dead in Iran during week of protests: rights groups

Rights groups report rising fatalities and hundreds of arrests in the biggest Iran protests in three years.

Protesters in the Malekshahi district of Iran’s western Ilam province, in UGC images published on January 3. Photo: UGC via AFP
Africa

War in Sudan: drone strikes cut power supply in oil-rich south

Over the past week, some 15,000 people have been displaced from the region, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.

Britain

Iranian diaspora in UK rallies in London to support protesters in Iran

Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street for the rally organised by the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK.

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Donald Trump

‘Peace President’ Trump embraces war: Maduro captured, Nigeria hit, Iran warned

Despite Nobel Peace Prize ambitions, Trump opens 2026 with strikes in Venezuela after a Christmas Day hit on Nigeria.

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US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in September. Photo: EPA
Middle East

Khamenei demands Iran rioters ‘be put in their place’ amid protests, Trump warning

As Trump warns the US is ‘locked and loaded’ to intervene, Iran’s supreme leader blames foreign enemies and orders a crackdown on nationwide unrest.

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Indonesia

Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?

While the region cries out for care, top source nations the Philippines and Indonesia have tightened controls to curb exploitation and abuse.

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Myanmar

Myanmar military-backed party leads in election’s first phase by wide margin

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by retired generals, won 38 of 40 seats in the lower house.

Electoral officers count early voting ballots after closing the first phase of Myanmar’s general election at a polling station in Naypyitaw, on December 28. Photo: EPA
Israel-Gaza war

Angelina Jolie visits Egyptian side of Gaza’s Rafah crossing

‘What needs to happen is clear: the ceasefire must hold and access must be sustained, safe and urgently scaled up,’ the actress said of Gaza.

American actress and film producer Angelina Jolie greets Red Crecent workers during her visit to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Friday. Photo: AP
Middle East

Saudi Arabia sets executions record in 2025, putting 356 people to death

The surge comes amid Riyadh’s ongoing ‘war on drugs’ and marked the first time more foreigners were executed than Saudis in a calendar year.

Middle East

At least 7 reported killed in Iran as unrest spreads beyond capital

Deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran over demonstrations which started in Tehran and have emerged elsewhere.

Middle East

Iran executions hit 35-year high with 1,500 killed in 2025: rights group

Drug offenses fuel ‘unprecedented’ surge as Tehran uses capital punishment to ‘create fear’, says rights activist.

Faces and stories of Iranians who have been executed as political prisoners by their government are displayed at a protest outside UN headquarters in New York in September 2025. Photo: AP
Israel-Gaza war

Israel to ban several aid groups from Gaza in 2026 over vetting rules

Israel says suspensions are meant to prevent Hamas from exploiting aid, but humanitarian groups say it will harm civilians.

Palestinians pass along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City. Photo: AP
Middle East

‘Hell to pay’: Trump warns Hamas and Iran after talks with Netanyahu

Trump presses for Hamas disarmament in Gaza, warns Iran of further US action if it reconstitutes nuclear programme.

Israel

Israeli president denies Trump claim Netanyahu pardon is ‘on its way’

Trump renews his call on Israel’s president to grant ally Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a corruption trial, a pardon.

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