human rights groups

Amnesty International has published a new report presenting what it calls damning evidence of war crimes committed in Mali by state armed forces and personnel from the Russian Wagner Group. The findings add to mounting documentation of abuses against civilians in the country's conflict, and are drawing attention to the human rights record of Mali's military government and its Russian partners.

United Nations experts have warned that the Trump administration's practice of deporting migrants to third countries violates international human rights law. The warning, reported by the Guardian, adds to mounting international criticism of US immigration policy, with rights groups arguing that removals to countries with which deportees have no connection expose people to serious harm.

Human Rights Watch reports a sharp rise in US immigration arrests that is leaving children in anguish, with families separated or fearing separation during enforcement operations. The group highlights the psychological toll on children affected by detentions and deportations, drawing attention to the human cost of intensified immigration enforcement across the United States.

Amnesty International USA is calling on US senators to demand answers from the Israeli government over human rights abuses in the occupied West Bank, including the killing of American citizens. The advocacy group argues that US lawmakers have a responsibility to seek accountability when US citizens are killed and to scrutinise Israel's conduct in the territory. The appeal adds to mounting pressure on Washington over its ally's actions in the Palestinian territories.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's investment summit in Canada welcomed investors from the United Arab Emirates, drawing criticism because the UAE has been accused of supplying weapons, logistics, training and foreign personnel to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group implicated in widespread atrocities in Sudan's civil war. Critics question why Canada is courting Emirati money while human rights groups document the country's role in fuelling the conflict.

The human rights group Monitor has accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians in its military campaign in Gaza, according to a report carried by Shafaq News. The allegation adds to ongoing international scrutiny of civilian casualties in the territory and is likely to fuel debate over compliance with international humanitarian law.

Immigration arrests are rising sharply, and the impact on children is at the centre of the concern. Human Rights Watch reports children experiencing anguish as families are detained or separated during the enforcement sweep. Rights groups warn the crackdown is inflicting serious psychological harm on minors caught up in arrests, and the surge is drawing scrutiny over the treatment of children in immigration enforcement.

The Council of Europe is hosting a roundtable in Strasbourg focused on Russia's State Duma elections, which the organisation has described as fake. The discussion forms part of the Council's continued scrutiny of Russia's political system and electoral integrity, amid broader tensions between Moscow and European institutions over democracy and human rights standards.

A new report documents war crimes committed by the Malian army and foreign allied forces along Mali's border with Mauritania, in an area affected by the decade-long conflict with armed groups. Witnesses describe killings of civilians regardless of age or status, summed up in the finding that 'no one is spared'. The allegations renew scrutiny of Mali's military and its foreign partners.

A human rights organisation has warned against careless redevelopment in Syria, pointing to billions of dollars' worth of reconstruction deals being struck without adequate legal safeguards. The group says the agreements risk rights violations for residents, including displaced Syrians unable to claim property, and is urging stronger legal protections before large-scale rebuilding proceeds.

Civil society groups warn that the Houthi movement is forcing children to fight on Yemen's battlefields, a long-standing concern documented by human rights monitors during the country's decade-long war. Yemeni civil society organisations are renewing calls for accountability and international attention to child recruitment as fighting continues across the country.

Israel is using artificial intelligence systems to select and accelerate demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, according to a report by Al Jazeera. The story alleges that AI tools help identify structures for demolition and streamline the process, raising concerns among rights groups about automated targeting, displacement and the lack of human oversight in decisions affecting Palestinian residents.

At least 186 students and teachers have allegedly been killed in Iran, prompting human rights organizations to call for an independent investigation into the deaths. The reported toll has drawn international attention and condemnation, with advocacy groups urging accountability and transparency from Iranian authorities. Details about the circumstances of the killings remain limited as calls for a formal probe grow.

Amnesty International says Türkiye is intensifying its crackdown on LGBTI organisations and activists, framing the repression as part of a broader deterioration of human rights in the country. Rights groups warn that bans on Pride events, detentions and pressure on civil society signal a widening assault on fundamental freedoms under the current government.

Yemen's Human Rights Commission has condemned Saudi-led airstrikes, denouncing them as aggression and calling attention to civilian harm in the conflict. The statement adds to ongoing international debate over the Saudi-led coalition's air campaign in Yemen, with rights groups repeatedly urging accountability and protection of civilians as the war continues.

Anti-trafficking organisation Freedom United is warning that human traffickers are using social media platforms to groom and sell children, while major technology companies avoid legal accountability. The group says Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act allows platforms to evade liability for hosting content that enables trafficking, and is calling attention to gaps in US law that leave children unprotected online.

The Taliban's governance of Afghanistan continues to draw attention over the combination of harsh repression and worsening economic hardship. Restrictions on women's rights and basic freedoms are compounding widespread poverty, leaving much of the population dependent on humanitarian aid. Advocacy groups are highlighting the plight of ordinary Afghans and urging the international community to keep the crisis in focus.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is pushing ahead with deportations of Afghan refugees, a move critics say violates the UN Refugee Convention. The deportations, carried out with federal police support, have drawn sharp criticism from refugee and human rights groups, who accuse Germany of sending people back to a country under Taliban rule where they face serious danger.

The head of the Human Rights Campaign has compared US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to lynch mobs, invoking the legacy of the civil rights movement in the criticism. The remarks add to ongoing controversy over ICE enforcement tactics, with civil rights groups voicing alarm while supporters of the agency's operations push back sharply.

A Kurdish nurse was tortured after being arrested by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Association. The group reported the case as part of its ongoing documentation of mistreatment of Kurdish detainees, but no further details about her identity, the location, or the circumstances of the arrest are available.

Human rights groups are raising alarm over the deteriorating health of a Kurdish political prisoner held in Evin Prison in Tehran. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reports growing concern about his condition and is calling for urgent medical attention and accountability from Iranian authorities.

The Roma Rights Network has published a report documenting persecution of Roma communities across Europe, an account also flagged by Genocide Watch. The findings describe ongoing discrimination, harassment and threats facing Roma people, and are drawing attention to how European states protect one of the continent's largest ethnic minorities.

A human rights organization has publicly condemned the arrest of a former Chief Justice, denouncing the detention as an attack on judicial independence and the rule of law. The group is calling for the former judge's release and for due process to be respected. No further details about the charges or circumstances of the arrest are available.

Human rights defenders report that fellow inmates in the Russian penal colony holding Iryna Danylovych, a detained Crimean citizen journalist, have begun mistreating her, with the activists saying she 'can't bear it any longer'. Danylovych was sentenced after her 2022 arrest in occupied Crimea, and her supporters have repeatedly raised concerns about her health and treatment in custody.

A Lao activist has reportedly disappeared in Thailand, adding to a series of enforced disappearances affecting Lao dissidents living across the border. Human rights groups have long expressed concern for the safety of exiled Lao activists in Thailand, where several have vanished in recent years. Calls are growing for Thai authorities to investigate and account for the activist's whereabouts.

Advocacy groups are warning that Nauru's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court risks weakening human rights protections for its citizens. They argue that leaving the court removes a key safeguard against serious international crimes and sets a troubling precedent in the Pacific region, where accountability mechanisms are already limited.