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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.
Ambulances wait in line at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian Gaza Strip on Monday. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Gaza’s Rafah crossing sees ‘limited’ reopening amid truce, but challenges remain

Restoring the Rafah-Egypt crossing is a vital milestone for the peace process, concluding the long closure enforced by the Israeli military.

Americas and the Caribbean

Costa Rica elects tough-talking right-winger for president

US-Iran tensions

Trump hopeful of deal after Iran’s top leader warns of regional war

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Iran

Screenwriter of Oscar-nominated Iranian film arrested in Tehran

Mehdi Mahmoudian and others detained after signing a statement calling Iran’s crackdown an ‘organised state crime against humanity’.

A scene from the Oscar-nominated film ‘It Was Just an Accident’. Photo: Neon via AP
ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Child detained by ICE in raid returns to Minnesota after judge’s order

Liam Conejo Ramos and his father released after a federal judge blasts the Trump administration’s ‘ill-conceived’ pursuit of deportation quotas.

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Africa

Nigerian army kills top Boko Haram commander, 10 militants in night raid

Abu Khalid, a commander of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest in Borno state, was a key figure within ‘the terrorist hierarchy’ according to the army.

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France

France’s Capgemini to sell US subsidiary under pressure for ICE contract

French lawmakers and Finance Minister Roland Lescure asked Capgemini to explain a contract signed with US immigration enforcement agency ICE.

The Capgemini logo at the company’s office in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris in 2024. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

Myanmar junta pledges to remove former civil servants from blacklists

After the military snatched power in a 2021 coup, tens of thousands of public workers left their posts in a surge of civil disobedience.

United States

US must release 5-year-old ‘bunny hat boy’ detained by ICE, judge orders

Liam Conejo Ramos was allegedly used as bait to lure out his family, further strengthening the backlash against Trump’s migrant crackdown.

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela proposes to free hundreds of prisoners, close ‘torture’ prison

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez says the proposed law will hopefully ‘heal the wounds’ and restore peace among Venezuelans.

Relatives of detainees react outside the Helicoide detention centre in Caracas after interim president Delcy Rodriguez announces a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Spain

Chinese hair salon owner arrested in Barcelona for funding Hamas via crypto

The 38-year-old Chinese national faces terror financing charges after allegedly laundering US$715,000 via cryptocurrency to the militant group.

Spanish police arrest a salon owner for allegedly funding Hamas with cryptocurrency, seizing assets and freezing accounts. Photo: Shutterstock
Israel-Gaza war

Israel offers ‘limited’ Rafah reopening after nearly 2-year Gaza border shutdown

The reopening is part of phase two of the US ceasefire. Previously, it was Gaza’s main crossing for people and trade with Egypt.

Middle East

US envoys to Israel blocked ‘apocalyptic’ Gaza warning in 2024: report

Leaked reports reveal US diplomats killed internal memos detailing dead bodies and famine in Gaza to avoid a ‘lack of balance’ in policy.

Middle East

‘They are trying to inject fear’: Iran rounding up thousands after crackdown

Security forces reportedly use unofficial warehouses and secret lock-ups as activists say arrests stand at more than 42,000.

An woman sits on a bus in Tehran, Iran, on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Music

How the folksy ‘Genuine American Hero’ became an anti-ICE anthem

Shootings in Minneapolis have led to scathing criticism from the likes of Jesse Welles and Bruce Springsteen.

Jesse Welles performs at the Metropol in Berlin, Germany, on December 15, 2025. The American guitarist and singer has emerged as a modern-day protest troubadour. Photo: Redferns
United States

As ICE cracks down, some of America’s biggest names are speaking out

The US president is facing a growing cultural revolt that threatens to undermine his signature domestic priority.

US-China relations

Chinese national Guan Heng, who filmed Xinjiang facilities, granted US asylum

The Department of Homeland Security initially sought to deport Guan to Uganda, but dropped the plan after his plight raised public concerns.

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Japan

Will North Korea compensate Japanese citizens lured into ‘paradise on Earth’?

A Tokyo court has ordered Pyongyang to pay damages, but the plaintiffs are now bracing for a long fight to enforce the ruling.

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Plaintiffs, their lawyers and supporters gather outside the Tokyo District Court after winning its decision ordering North Korea to pay damages over its decades-long human rights violations after luring them to move to the North by Pyongyang’s false promises of living in “paradise on Earth”, on Monday in Japan. Photo: AP
United States

Judge orders ICE chief to court over Trump’s immigration crackdown

Judge demands ICE chief explain why officials denied detained immigrants due process amid Trump’s crackdown in Minnesota.

Spain

Spain to grant legal status to migrants defying Trump trend, Europe’s policies

New decree offers status to roughly 500,000 residents, in contrast to the deportation focus of Trump’s administration and some EU leaders.

Israel-Gaza war

Unicef delivers school kits to Gaza after 2.5-year Israel blockade

Thousands of school kits reach Gaza as Unicef confirms Israel lifts blockade that left children learning without pencils or books.

Students attend a class at Al-Shamal Educational School, located just 100 metres from the “Yellow Line” in Jabalia Refugee Camp on January 12. Photo: Xinhua
Gun violence in the US

ICE shooting of Alex Pretti sparks NRA backlash, Trump U-turn

Trump administration shifts tone after Republican allies and the NRA criticise officials for blaming a lawfully armed man for his own death.

A video screengrab shows a law enforcement officer pinning Alex Pretti before he was fatally shot in Minneapolis on January 24. Photo: Reuters
United Nations

Hundreds feared missing or dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks, UN says

IOM investigates reports of vessels being impacted by bad weather after departing from Tunisia and Libya for Europe.

United States

ICE thaw? White House softens tone after Minneapolis killings outrage

Some federal agents will start leaving Minneapolis following White House talks with the state’s governor and city mayor.

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Donald Trump

Trump does not want to see people killed on US streets, White House says

Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the death of a nurse in Minnesota was a result ‍of ‘deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders’.

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This screengrab of video footage shot by @dangjessie shows Alex Pretti (left) and a federal immigration agent (centre) before Pretti was shot dead in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday. Photo: @dangjessie/UGC/AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israel recovers final hostage remains, key for next phase of Gaza truce

Returning all hostages has been central to the Gaza ceasefire. Gvili’s family urged Israel to delay phase two until his remains are returned.

People in Tel Aviv hold signs with a photo of Ran Gvili, who was killed on October 7, 2023. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Duterte vs ICC: judges reject ‘unfit’ plea, set date for drug war case

The 80-year-old faces a February hearing on crimes against humanity after the court rejected defence arguments that he was unfit to take part.

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United States

The public face of Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign

From tossing tear gas to defending fatal shootings, the US Border Patrol chief relishes his high-profile role in Trump’s America.

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