The Erasure of the Private Sphere in Iran
By Franzie Schatzl and Jack Budlow Before attending a local production of Chekhov’s “Ivanov,” two women publicly share a cigarette — a habit once considered socially unacceptable. Across Iran, women continue to find small ways to assert individuality, resist, and stretch the boundaries of what authorities deem acceptable behaviour. Photograph: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times The erosion of the private sphere is a hallmark of totalitarianism. The demolition of individuality a
Genocide Watch
Nov 13
Slovakia curb on same-sex rights sparks concern
By enr with AFP, ANSA, BTA, CTK, dpa, HINA, PAP, TASR | 04.Nov 2025 While social acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people has increased across the EU in the last five years, the rights of sexual minorities are under pressure in the EU. The latest move by Slovakia to restrict the rights of same-sex couples stands at odds with the bloc’s strategy to promote the communities’ rights and safety. Participants in the 6th cross-border Pride parade wait for the event to begin. The parade started
European Newsroom (enr)
Nov 10
UN Review to Examine Croatia's Human Rights Record
By OHCHR United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner Logo GENEVA – The human rights record of Croatia will be examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time on Monday 10 November 2025, 14:30–18:00 (GMT+1), in a meeting in Geneva that will be webcast live . Croatia is one of 14 States scheduled to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming session from 3 to 14 November 2025.
United Nations
Nov 8
Cultural Genocide and the Kurdish Struggle in Iran
By Michał Jagielski Protesters hold up a placard reading "Stop Execution in Iran" as they take part in a rally in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 22, 2022. Iran executed four Kurds by hanging on Jan. 29, 2024, having found them guilty of charges of collaborating with Israel. Photograph: AFP The Kurds, along with other ethnic minorities in Iran, have been suffering from systemic attempts by the state to limit their autonomy and forcefully assimilate them into the dominant Iranian cultur
Genocide Watch
Nov 7
Marginalization of the Baloch in Iran
By Michał Jagielski Protesters marching in Zahedan city, Sistan and Baluchistan province. Photograph: UGC/AFP Sistan and Balochistan Province has been the victim of persistent attempts by the Iranian regime to oppress the Baloch and limit their capacity for mobilization. The events and policies described in this report are not isolated instances of ethnic persecution, but rather a strategy created to eradicate the Baloch. Tehran frames its policies as a response to the percei
Genocide Watch
Nov 7
Colombia's Atrato River Crisis: a Human Rights Emergency
A United Nations letter to Colombia warns that mercury contamination from illegal gold mining in the Atrato River basin is causing a grave human rights crisis for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities By Steven Grattan A group of women, part of Asociacion Nuestra Casa Comun, or Our Community House Association, go by boat to an area destroyed by illegal mining, on the Quito River, the Atrato River’s main tributary, near Paimado, Colombia, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Va
ABC 1
Oct 22
