Country report: Russia August 2026
By Alexander Smith A firefighter works at a site in a residential area damaged during a Russian missile strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Kyiv, Ukraine. September 21, 2023. Image: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko. Russia has a long history of documented persecution of ethnic minorities and societal dissidents. Imperial Russia organized anti-Jewish pogroms. According to the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium, the Soviet Union committed a genocide against Ukrainians dur
Genocide Watch
Aug 11
Ousted Sheikh Hasina Announces Return Following Exile
By Sheikh Saaliq and Julhas Alam August 5, 2026 Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives to attend The Queen’s Dinner during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace in London on April 19, 2018. Credit: Daniel Leal-Olivas and Pool Photo in AP News NEW DELHI (AP) — Ousted former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Wednesday that she plans to return to her country from exile in India in December despite facing a death sentence i
AP News
Aug 10
UN urges Cambodia to strengthen human rights protections
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Thomas Andrews United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Thomas Andrews, has called on the Cambodian government to strengthen its protection of fundamental freedoms, saying the Kingdom faces a series of human rights challenges linked to the border conflict with Thailand, transnational cyber scams and upcoming national elections. Speaking at the conclusion of h
Khmer Times
Aug 4
Country Report: Moldova July 2026
By Vladimir Kovtun Roma family: Galina and Vijai and their young children. © OHCHR/Vincent Tremeau Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Moldova has continued to experience authoritarian influence and weak rule of law. Most recently, from 2015 to 2019, the oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc effectively controlled Moldova and entrenched a system of corruption and oppression towards opposition figures. Despite the election of the more democratic Party of Action and Solidary
Fear Grows as Freedoms Shrink in Uganda
By: UN News July 30, 2026 Unsplash/Random Institute Since Uganda's general election in January, reports of enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations have increased against people perceived to oppose the Government. Since the country's general election in January, reports of enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations have increased against people perceived to oppose the Government. According
United Nations
Jul 29
United Arab Emirates Country Report
By Karolina Bonde Genocide Watch The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates established in 1971. The UAE bans political parties, and hereditary rulers retain concentrated political power, with Abu Dhabi holding the presidency since the federation’s founding. The UAE is an authoritarian state with severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly. A portrait of imprisoned UAE activist Mohammed al-Siddiq is held during a rare protest
Genocide Watch
Jul 29
Qatar Country Report: July 2026
By Genocide Watch July 29, 2026 Construction workers in Doha, Qatar, November 16, 2022. Credit: 2022 ddp images/AP Photo in Human Rights Watch Since Qatar’s establishment in 1971, the country has faced international condemnation for ongoing human rights abuses. Global demands for reform have focused on Qatar’s exploitative treatment of migrant workers through the kafala labor system, restrictions on public expression, threats of arbitrary arrest, and insufficient protection o
Genocide Watch
Jul 28
Securitization and Radicalization in France
Part Two: How Securitization Drives Radicalization By Vladimir Kovtun Genocide Watch The mother of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old of Algerian descent who died in 2023 after being shot by a policeman, on top of a van during a demonstration in Nanterre (France). Photo by Bertrand Guay (AFP) Introduction France has a well-resourced approach to combat radicalism through educating students to value France's republican values, French secularism, and laïcité (in layman’s terms, freed
West Bengal invokes Goonda Act; 10 Muslims arrested over neet
Maktoob July 26, 2026 The West Bengal government invoked the Goonda Act for the first time after clashes during the Kolkata NEET protest, with police arresting 11 people, including 10 Muslims, while student leaders alleged BJP-backed provocateurs triggered the violence. The West Bengal government on Saturday said it had invoked the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2026, commonly known as the Goonda Act, against those accused of orchestratin
Maktoob
Jul 26
Azerbaijan's "Great Return" Destroys Armenian Artsakh
By Kristie Moore 43 families (totaling 176 former internally displaced persons) returning to Kangarly village in the Aghdam, Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on July 17, 2025 (Source) Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has been ongoing for decades. Displacement has been a constant facet of this reality. Both Armenians and Azerbaijanis have been cleared from the area on numerous occasions, displaced from their homelands, and forced to rebuild from nothi
Genocide Watch
Jul 25
Exploiting the Beautiful Game: Sportswashing at the World Cup
By: Alexander Smith President Donald Trump holds the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks on during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) Summary: Three North American countries hosted the 2026 World Cup: The United States (U.S.), Canada, and Mexico. Fans traveled globally to support their teams, filling stadiums seating 40,000 to 80,000 people. This quadrennial
Genocide Watch
Jul 24
The Past is Never Past
Volkswagen's New Convictions for Slavery in the Brazilian Amazon July 16, 2026 Saulo de Matos and Heitor Guimarães Picture: Wolfgang Weihs/picture alliance On June 11, 2026, the German automotive company Volkswagen (VW) was convicted in four different lawsuits by the Brazilian Labor Court for reducing people to slavery in the Brazilian Amazon. While this judgment marks the company’s second round of convictions for enslavement within the Amazonian state of Pará, it stands out
Verfassungsblog
Jul 23
