Human Rights Under Strain: Global Updates on Repression, Refugees, and State Accountability

Across Asia and beyond, human rights violations continue to threaten the safety, dignity, and freedoms of millions, from the plight of Rohingya refugees and the repression of journalists in China, to border conflicts, political crackdowns, and systematic state abuses in North Korea and Indonesia.

Myanmar 

This week, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that a funding crisis will heavily impact vulnerable people in Asia, including the Rohingya Muslim population, who have been targets of genocide in Myanmar for decades. The Deputy Executive Director of the WFP, Carl Skau, is seeking aid from other Asian countries, such as India and Indonesia, since Western countries cut their aid budgets. On September 15, 2025, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) published an article confirming that “over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char,” refugee camps in Bangladesh. The NRC writes that the situation in the refugee camps for Rohingya refugees is dire due to a lack of protection and safety, as well as a lack of health services and a deteriorating education situation.

Additionally, In May 2025, the world witnessed the systematic deportations of Rohingya refugee in violation of international law, forcibly expelling to Myanmar a minimum 40 registered with UNHRC detainees and refugees while the civil war and genocidal circumstances still underway for the Rohingya community. The deportees were served with deception under the pretext of standard biometric data collection, then secretly transported through military aircraft to the Andaman Islands, where they were loaded onto naval vessels, and eventually forced into Andaman Sea with life jackets to swim to Myanmar’s coast. This operation reflects a border crackdown by the government of India with an estimate of over 40,000 Rohingya refugee, with authorities conducting arbitrary detentions, confiscation followed by physical abuse of UNHRC documentation and additional forced returns to Bangladesh. The refugees, who originally fled Myanmar’s 2017 military clearance operations that the UN mentioned as ethnic cleansing, now face extreme peril as they have been returned to a country in civil war where they remain stateless, unrecognized and even are subjected to apartheid conditions. Moreover, these actions constitute violations of the principle of non-refoulement and international refugee protection standards.

North Korea 

A recent United Nations report released on September 4th, 2025, regarding the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since 2014 has raised concerns about the government’s internal repression. The report states that within the last 10 years, the government has continued to exercise total control over its population and restrict fundamental rights and freedoms. For instance, there have been harsh crackdowns against the consumption or dissemination of unauthorized foreign information such as publications, music, and movies. Indulging in such activities are considered a threat to national security and can result in punishments as severe as the death penalty. The application of the death penalty is reported to have been expanded since 2015 through new unjust laws. This series of laws names offenses punishable by death that do not comply with what international law considers to be “the most serious crimes” which may justifiably result in the use of the death penalty.  Further, despite reports that the government had enacted laws regarding rights to fair trials and legal representation aligning with international human rights standards, arrests without warrant or proper investigation or evidence persist, as do fair-trial concerns.

Ill-treatment in prisons and detainment centers in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been documented over the last decade. It was revealed that the prisons and detainment centers actively disregard international human rights norms. Detainees are subjected to inhumane conditions, such as overcrowded cells, insufficient food and medical care, and routine physical abuse. There has been reported psychological abuse intended to instill fear and enforce obedience. Testimonies from former prisoners also indicate that the detainees are subjected to torture and sexual violence. Such conditions along with prolonged forced labor in those prisons and detainment centers create an environment that not only violates human rights but also constitutes inhuman treatment under international law.

China 

On 19 September 2025, it was reported that Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan was sentenced to an additional four years in prison by a Shanghai court on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” an offence often used by the Chinese authorities to silence journalists and critics. Zhang was first arrested in May 2020 while documenting the Covid-19 pandemic and was sentenced to four years in prison. While in detention, Zhang went on hunger strike to protest her mistreatment, which resulted in several hospitalizations. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) advocated for her release and condemned her imprisonment. In May 2024, Zhang was released but remained under strict surveillance and continued to face harassment from authorities. Four months later she was detained again. Zhang’s family and legal representatives have also faced intimidation, preventing them from sharing information on her current health condition and details of the trial. Amnesty International has called for Zhang’s “baseless conviction” to be overturned and for her immediate release. The UN Human Rights Office has raised concerns over China’s use of criminal charges to restrict journalists and human rights defenders, limiting their fundamental right to freedom of expression under international law.

Cambodia

In September 2025, the Cambodia–Thailand border conflict has drawn more attention nationally and internationally after a series of new incidents at the border. The Interim Observer Team (IOT), established in August under ASEAN leadership to monitor the Cambodia–Thailand ceasefire, made an inspection visit to the border on 17 September. Both countries also agreed to allow other ASEAN members to monitor their ceasefire obligations. That same day, clashes broke out in Preah Vihear province when Thai soldiers opened fire, leaving Cambodian civilians injured. Further, Thailand has issued a deadline for Cambodians to vacate all areas along the Sa Kaeo border. While Cambodia has asserted that this violates the UN Charter and amounts to a violation of fundamental human rights, Thailand has accused Cambodia of multiple ceasefire agreement violations.

The border clashes have not only affected the people actively involved in the conflict but also those who live on the borders, as found by a coalition of civil society organizations, including CHRAC and the NGO Forum. They have released findings from a rapid assessment, warning that clashes along the border have exposed communities to toxic smoke and potential chemical contamination. The inhabitants reported respiratory distress, skin irritation, livestock deaths, and polluted water sources, prompting calls for independent scientific investigation and emergency humanitarian assistance.

Indonesia

As of September 2025, human rights in Indonesia are facing significant strain amid a broad-based public backlash against parliamentary allowances, austerity measures, and elevated living costs. While Indonesia has generally been seen as a democratic ASEAN member with a constitutional framework guaranteeing freedom of expression, assembly, and due process, recent events suggest a worrying trend toward the suppression of these rights in practice. The nationwide protests that began on 25 August have drawn tens of thousands of students, workers, and citizens into the streets, with demonstrations spreading to nearly 50 cities, yet authorities have responded with force rather than dialogue. Human Rights Watch, OHCHR, and Amnesty International have documented widespread reports that security forces, sometimes including military units have used excessive force against protesters, employing tear gas, armored vehicles, beatings, and wrongful arrests. At least eight deaths have been confirmed in connection with the crackdowns, while thousands have been detained, many allegedly for peaceful or only marginally disruptive actions. Independent media coverage, courtroom transparency, and the right to dissent are all under pressure. The international human rights organizations call on the Indonesian authorities to respect international norms: uphold the rights to peaceful assembly and free expression, permit free media reporting, and carry out prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations of all abuses, ensuring accountability for those responsible.