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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.
An Afghan street barber trims the mustauche of a customer in Kabul. Photo: AP
Middle East

Taliban’s morality police arrest men for skipping mosque or wrong hairstyles

During the holy fasting month of Ramadan, men’s attendance at mandated prayers was closely monitored, leading at times to arbitrary detention.

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United States

US-Russian citizen released in Moscow-Washington prisoner swap

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South Korea

Seoul palace restroom gets hi-tech spy-cam detector to combat ‘molka’ filming

China-EU relations

Man detained in Sweden on suspicion of spying on Uygurs for China

Beijing has denied accusations from rights organisations about abuses against the ethnic minority group in Xinjiang.

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Police vehicles patrol near the Grand Bazaar in Urumqi in Xinjiang in July 2024. Photo: Kyodo
Thailand

US ‘alarmed’ at arrest of American academic in Thailand for alleged royal insult

The US State Department said Paul Chambers’ arrest ‘reinforces long-standing concerns about the use of lèse-majesté laws in Thailand’.

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Singapore

‘I caught the baby’: migrant heroes hailed after Singapore shophouse fire rescue

Risking their lives and without safety gear, construction workers scaled a burning building to save children trapped on a third-storey ledge.

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Thailand

US academic charged for insulting Thai king, raising concerns over free speech

Thailand’s strict royal defamation law is being increasingly used against dissenters, critics claim.

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn (centre) with his royal noble consort Sineenat Wongvajirabhakdi (right). Photo: AP
Iran

Amnesty says Iran, Iraq and Saudi executed 1,380 people last year

The rights group said that drug-related offences accounted for more than 40 per cent of all executions globally.

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United States

Man wrongly deported to El Salvador by US must stay for now, Supreme Court says

US district judge earlier had found US had no authority to detain and deport migrant who lived in Maryland legally and ordered his return.

Donald Trump

US ends some USAID contracts providing life-saving aid across Middle East

The projects were being cancelled ‘for the convenience of the US government’, according to letters sent to USAID partners.

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People receive food aid provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) at the Bab al-Rahma camp near the town of Kafr Lusin, north of Idlib, Syria, on March 12. Photo: EPA-EFE
Myanmar

Myanmar junta leader visits quake epicentre – 10 days after disaster

Min Aung Hlaing’s visit reportedly hints at prioritisation of relief to religious institutions in Sagaing, where aid workers say supplies have been blocked.

Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing (left, front) visits the camp of Chinese rescue teams in Mandalay on Sunday, following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake. Photo: Xinhua
Germany

Ex-German president warns of far-right at anniversary of Buchenwald liberation

Christian Wulff called Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp ‘a place of systematic dehumanisation’ as he warned against radicalisation.

War and conflict

Opinion | Whose lives matter? Navigating aid and ethics in a divided world

As the West and Global South clash over Gaza and beyond, the question of whose lives are deemed worthy of protection exposes deep fractures.

Israel-Gaza war

Video shows slain Gaza aid workers last moments, Red Crescent says

The video was recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza, showing clearly marked ambulances and emergency lights flashing.

First responders embrace each other at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday as the bodies of Palestinian first responders who were killed a week before in Israeli military fire on ambulances arrive at the facility. Photo: AFP
United States

‘Government will find you’: Ukrainians panic after erroneous US deportation email

The Department of Homeland Security clarified their status remains unchanged after an email falsely stated they had seven days to leave.

Phot: Shutterstock
United States

US ordered to return man deported to El Salvador prison in ‘error’

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, amid legal disputes over gang affiliations and deportation policies.

Myanmar

Myanmar’s double disaster: an earthquake and a heartless junta

As quake survivors dig through the rubble for loved ones with their bare hands, the military bombs villages and seeks diplomatic openings.

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China technology

Editorial | Facial recognition in China calls for protective measures

Hong Kong needs to bear this in mind as mainland China brings in new rules to ease public concerns.

Companies that use face recognition technology will find themselve under new regulations in China soon. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Japan faces demand for full footage over death of Sri Lankan woman from family

Wishma Sandamali suffered from ill health and lost more than 20kg while in detention in Nagoya for months before she died in 2021.

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India

India’s Lower House passes bill that would change Muslim land laws

Critics fear it will further undermine Muslim rights in India and could be used to confiscate historic mosques and other property.

Israel-Gaza war

Letters | Human rights should apply equally, not only when it pleases the US

Readers discuss the war in Gaza and its ripple impact elsewhere, including Hong Kong.

A girl looks at a closed bakery in Gaza City, on April 1. The aid blockade has forced the shuttering of 25 bakeries in Gaza run by the UN World Food Programme as food supplies shrivel. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Japanese female politician gets 8,000 death threats over menstrual care post

Experts say abusive messages reflect a deeper pattern of gender-based harassment aiming to silence outspoken women and are frequent occurrences.

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A woman in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan. Abusive messages targeting women who speak out are alarmingly frequent occurrences, says Chisato Kitanaka, an associate professor of sociology at Hiroshima University. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
Myanmar

Myanmar junta declares temporary ceasefire for quake relief

The truce, to show compassion for people affected by Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake, will run until April 22.

Americas and the Caribbean

Costa Rica’s Nobel-winning ex-president loses US visa

Two-time president Oscar Arias won the Nobel in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars in Central America.

The Philippines

Philippine influencers grilled over Duterte ‘fake news’ admit errors amid tears

Some critics welcomed the accountability for social media figures, while others felt the hearing focused more on settling scores than addressing structural issues.

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Philippine lawmakers grilled influencers over spreading false information about Duterte’s ICC arrest, revealing deeper disinformation issues. Photo: Reuters
United States

US deports man with legal status to El Salvador prison because of ‘error’

Government lawyers argue that despite the mistake, US courts did not have jurisdiction to secure Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release.

Alleged Venezuelan gang members deported by the US sit on the floor before they are imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Centre in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in footage obtained in March. Photo: Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia via Reuters
US-China relations

‘Jimmy Lai Way’: US call to honour jailed tycoon by renaming Washington street

Bill put forward by bipartisan group of US House members comes a day after US State Department sanctioned six Hong Kong officials.

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Japan

Nakai sexually assaulted Japan’s Fuji TV staff amid harassment culture: report

Lawyer-led panel calls the incident a ‘serious infringement of human rights’ and says Fuji TV management lacked awareness of sexual violence.

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