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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.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Pope Francis leads the traditional Urbi et Orbi Christmas Day blessing from the central balcony of Saint Peter’s Square. He called for arms to be silenced in war-torn Ukraine and in the Middle East. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI
War and conflict

Pope urges ‘all people of all nations’ to silence arms in Christmas address

He called for an end to conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, singling out Christian communities in the region.

Donald Trump

Trump blasts Biden for commuting nearly all US federal death sentences

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US-China tech war

Chinese surveillance tech firm Dahua exits projects in Xinjiang

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong needs these laws to close child protection loopholes

Despite recent legislation on mandatory reporting of abuse, children still need stronger protection from psychological harm and sexual grooming, and stronger deterrence against neglect.

According to the Social Welfare Department’s Child Protection Registry, reported child abuse cases in Hong Kong increased from 2020 to 2023. The most common type of abuse is physical. Photo: Shutterstock
Australia

Australia’s South Asians hail anti-racism framework for including caste

The framework will help fight caste discrimination by enhancing legal protections in areas such as housing, education and culture.

The Philippines

‘Erasing history’?: Marcos Jnr accused of political bias over new banknotes

A critic of Ferdinand Marcos Jnr accuses him of attempting to reshape the country’s history by removing the Aquinos from the 500-peso notes.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israeli order to evacuate Gaza hospital ‘next to impossible’ to obey, medics say

Staff at Kamal Adwan hospital say evacuation impossible due to lack of ambulances.

Badly damaged Palestinian houses during the ongoing Israeli military operation in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters
Italy

Italian deputy PM Salvini acquitted of migrant kidnapping charges

The right-wing leader had blocked a boat carrying over 100 asylum seekers from docking as part of a policy to curb irregular arrivals.

Asean

Anwar’s pick of Thaksin as adviser raises fears of ex-PM favouring Myanmar junta

Myanmar resistance groups are concerned that the former Thai leader will align his business interests with those of the military junta.

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Singapore

‘Lives at stake’: will Singapore ban moving workers on lorries after fatal crash?

Singapore is at a stalemate over the practice of transporting migrant workers on lorries, despite fatal accidents and public outcry.

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Migrant workers sit in the back of a truck in Singapore. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Make the nation happier’: Japan PM’s same-sex marriage comment spurs hope

His remarks come after a series of court rulings saying the country’s current prohibitions on marriage equality were unconstitutional.

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Plaintiffs and their supporters celebrate after a Japanese high court ruled that the country’s refusal to recognise same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, outside the Fukuoka High Court in southern Japan, on December 13. Photo: AP
Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces election uncertainty amid unrest and weakened police force

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, plans to hold elections next year, but restoring order and public trust in the police is essential for credibility.

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France

France jails Dominique Pelicot for 20 years over drugging, mass rape of ex-wife

Judges found Dominique Pelicot guilty, and also convicted a first batch of 20 out of 50 co-defendants in the case.

France

Ex-French leader Sarkozy to wear electronic tag after graft conviction upheld

Sarkozy’s lawyer said the former president would appeal to the European Court for Human Rights to challenge the ruling.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Photo: Reuters
Middle East

Mass graves in Syria reveal horrifying state-run ‘machinery of death’

After Assad’s fall, the task of unearthing the dead from Syria’s mass graves is just beginning.

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A drone view shows the site of a mass grave in Najha, Syria. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Modern slavery’: the dark truths behind Japan’s foreign trainee scheme

As more victims step forward, the spotlight intensifies on a system that activists say prioritises profit over workers’ dignity and safety.

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The Philippines

Hopes high Mary Jane Veloso will get clemency upon her return to Philippines

Veloso, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2010, is set to fly to Manila on Wednesday as her supporters fight to see her freed.

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India

‘Inhumane’: inside India’s detention camps for Rohingya refugees

A new report details dehumanising treatment and dire living conditions faced by hundreds of Rohingya held in detention camps across India.

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A Rohingya refugee child looks out through the bars of a window at a camp on the outskirts of Chennai, India. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israeli team in Qatar for talks on potential Gaza ceasefire deal, official says

Israel’s defence minister says have ‘not been this close to a deal’ on hostages in Gaza.

Myanmar

‘A long way to go’: India struggles to match China’s Myanmar outreach

China’s bigger role as a peace mediator has sparked concerns about the impact on India’s infrastructure projects in Myanmar.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israel to close embassy in Ireland over Gaza tensions as war death toll mounts

Israel cites Dublin’s ‘extreme anti-Israeli policies’, further straining tense relations between the two nations.

The Israeli embassy on Shelbourne Road in Dublin, Ireland in 2023. File photo: Shutterstock
Bangladesh

Bangladesh inquiry recommends feared police unit disbanded

Toppled Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina was accused of widespread human rights abuses, including disappearances carried out by the unit.

Police standing guard in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: dpa
Middle East

Iran arrests singer for giving online concert without hijab

Parastoo Ahmadi, who was accompanied by four male musicians, wore a black sleeveless and collarless dress but no headscarf.

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US-China tech war

Sanctioned camera maker Hikvision ends five government contracts in Xinjiang

The surveillance camera maker, blacklisted by Trump in 2019, did not say why it was now ending contracts for projects completed in 2018.

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Syria

Torture, murders, rapes: inside Syria’s ‘human slaughterhouse’ Saydnaya jail

Rebels freed more than 4,000 inmates from the notorious prison dubbed ‘human abattoir’, revealing the horrors within its walls.

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People keep warm around a bonfire outside the Saydnaya prison in Damascus on December 11. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

‘Now we know’: Malaysia’s Syrian refugees find Assad’s fall bittersweet

Malaysia offered sanctuary to thousands of Syrians who fled the Assad regime. Now Bashar is gone some want to return. Others aren’t so sure.

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Syrian refugees arrive in Malaysia in 2016. Photo: AFP
Canada

My Take | Canada’s Beijing sanctions are not only useless but hypocritical

Ottawa might be on stronger ground if it had sanctioned both China and Israel on human rights, but just punishing one shows double standards.

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E-commerce

Shein’s UK IPO slowed by challenge from Uygur NGO alleging Xinjiang cotton use

Britain’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner has also raised concerns over allegations about the fast-fashion firm’s labour practices.

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