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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 same-sex couple joins “Metro Manila Pride”, the longest-running pride march in Southeast Asia, in 2016. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Philippine Supreme Court ruling adds momentum to same-sex marriage debate

Advocates hailed the ruling as a breakthrough, though observers said its reach remains limited without congressional action.

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Rodrigo Duterte

Video | From drug tsar to ICC detainee: the rise and fall of Rodrigo Duterte

The Philippines

Duterte was ‘pivotal’ in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say

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The Netherlands

New Dutch government under centrist Jetten takes power

Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October to dethrone the far-right party led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders.

Ministers of the new three-party minority government pose with King Willem-Alexander (middle right, Prime Minster Rob Jetten (middle left) and Deputy Prime Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (front row right) on the steps of Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. Photo: AP
Protests around the world

30 people in Iran face death penalty after protests, Amnesty says

A death sentence has been passed in eight cases, while two minors are among the 22 other cases before the courts.

The Philippines

Families of Philippine drug war victims seek ICC justice as Duterte trial looms

A hearing that begins in The Hague on Monday will determine whether the ex-president will stand trial over at least 76 of those deaths.

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Turkey

6 Europeans activists held in Turkey while investigating prison conditions

Their arrest came on the same day that police detained a Turkish journalist working for Deutsche Welle for ‘spreading false news’.

A high-security prison is seen in the border city of Edirne, Turkey. Photo: Reuters
Scams and swindles

Water prisons, torture: UN urges crackdown on brutal Southeast Asia scam centres

The agency’s latest report documents torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation and solitary confinement in the centres.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela approves amnesty law that could free hundreds of political prisoners

Landmark amnesty bill was signed by Venezuela’s interim president nearly seven weeks after the capture of Nicolas Maduro by the US.

Myanmar

Myanmar rebel leader Bo Nagar surrenders to junta amid resistance infighting

The Burma National Revolutionary Army leader’s surrender is a dramatic reminder of fractures within the armed resistance movement.

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People inspect their damaged homes in Tabayin, Sagaing region, after Myanmar’s military air strikes on December 6, 2025. Photo: AFP
Espionage

Iran sentences British world travellers to 10 years for spying

Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested while travelling through the country on a round-the-world trip, according to relatives.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman take a selfie at Naqsh-e Jahan Square, with the Shah Mosque in the background, in Isfahan, Iran. Photo: Foreman family / AFP
Russia

Russia demands ‘concrete’ proof that it poisoned Navalny with dart frog toxin

Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands claim Russia had the ‘means, motive and opportunity’ to kill its opposition leader.

Indonesia

‘Wake-up call’: child deaths in Indonesia spotlight gaps in social aid

Experts warn many other such cases may not be recorded, and urge educators to be more vigilant to signs of emotional distress among students.

Italy

‘I have to be worried’: Ukraine’s Olympic sign bearer was a Russian woman

Disguised in dark glasses and a silver puffer jacket, Anastasia Kucherova says she wept silently as Ukraine got a standing ovation.

Anastasia Kucherova and Ukraine’s flag bearer Yelyzaveta Sydorko (centre) lead the country’s contingent at the opening ceremony. Photo: Reuters
South Africa

Trump’s new ambassador to South Africa arrives in country amid strained ties

The US president has accused South Africa of persecuting its white minority, criticised its ties with China and imposed tariffs on exports.

US President Donald Trump, right, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in May. Trump’s pick for ambassador to South Africa arrived in the country on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Hamas ‘used emojis’ to signal start of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel

Citing the army, Israeli media reported that emojis were found on mobile phones belonging to members of Hamas’ elite Nukhba Forces unit.

The Philippines

ICC naming of Duterte’s allies sharpens Philippines’ political fault lines

Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Christopher Go named as alleged ‘co-perpetrators’ in the former president’s crimes against humanity case.

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Myanmar

East Timor triggers Asean first, accuses Myanmar of war crimes

East Timor’s laws allow its domestic courts to investigate and potentially prosecute serious international crimes regardless of where they were committed.

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East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta during an interview with The Associated Press in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 27 last year. Photo: AP
ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

ICE releases detained Filipino after ‘unreasonable failures of care’

Greggy Sorio, a Filipino green card holder who lost a toe and part of his foot to a bone infection, wins release following medical neglect.

ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Over 1,000 agents leave Minnesota as immigration surge winds down

US border tsar says a ‘small’ security force will remain to protect remaining personnel following weeks of volatile protests.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel launches new West Bank land policy seen as a ‘mega land grab’

West Bank land registration will force anyone who has a claim to land to prove ownership, a move decried by Palestinians.

Palestinians walk along the separation barrier between the West Bank and east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina. Photo: AP
Cambodia

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

A government crackdown freed thousands, but with no passports or support, survivors have simply traded captivity for destitution.

People carry their belongings onto a bus as they leave a suspected scam centre compound in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, last month. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

World artists back Palestine rapporteur Francesca Albanese despite criticism

Albanese faces calls from France and Germany to step down over remarks in which she criticised ‘most of the world’ for enabling Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh PM-to-be celebrates landslide win, thanks protesters

Prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman dedicated his victory to those who ‘sacrificed for democracy’ after the first polls since a deadly 2024 uprising.

The Philippines

Philippine senators Go, Dela Rosa helped Duterte wage drug war: ICC prosecutors

The two sitting senators are among eight officials linked to the ex-president’s crimes against humanity charges, an ICC document says.

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte listens to then police director general Ronald Dela Rosa during a press conference on January 30, 2017. Photo: AFP
Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

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Vote counting takes place on January 25 in Yangon for Myanmar’s general election. Photo: Kyodo
United States

Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon to enter plea in Minnesota ICE protest case

Lemon had livestreamed a protest against Trump’s deployment of ‌armed immigration agents into Minnesota’s biggest cities.

United States

Trump ending aggressive Minnesota immigration crackdown

The Trump administration retreats from Minnesota, and speculation is rife about which cities might be targeted next.

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