By Mike Ekel August 6, 2026 (Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) At the time he fled Russia in September 2022, Aleksandr Menyukov was a witness in a criminal investigation targeting a close friend: a poet whose street readings of anti-war verses were considered a crime. Hundreds of thousands of Russians had fled after President Vladimir Putin that month ordered a military mobilization to shore up the sputtering invasion of Ukraine. But for Menyukov, who provided legal ad

By: Asif Shahzad, Ariba Shahid, Mubasher Bukhari and Rick Noack August 6 2026 Police officers in riot gear stand guard as supporters of various religious and political parties attend a protest rally against Geo News over content aired during a program marking the holy month of Muharram, in Karachi, Pakistan, July 3, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - When blasphemy allegations against a Christian family prompted a mob of hundreds to as

By: Alexander Smith Supporters of the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) wave flags as they take part in an AfD campaign rally in Hohenschoenhausen, Berlin, Germany, February 22, 2025. Image: Reuters/Christian Mang. Germany’s history of genocide began during its colonial rule of German South West Africa (GSWA), which Germany acquired at the Berlin Conference. Settlers forcibly took indigenous lands, massacred those that resisted German rule, established labor camps, and rape

Liberia’s government announced on August 5 the elimination of all school registration fees from kindergarten through grade 6, beginning with the new school year on September 7. The decision removes one of the biggest barriers to schooling for hundreds of thousands of children.

By Mina Aldroubi August 06, 2026 Foreign ministers Hakan Fidan and Asaad Al Shibani condemn Israeli attacks on southern Syria during meeting in Ankara Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara. Photo: Sana Turkey and Syria on Thursday said they will work together to strengthen their defence and counter-terrorism sectors to help “free Syria”. It came during a visit to Ankara by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani, who met

By Sophia Khan and Kristie Moore Protests in Karakalpakstan in 2022. Peaceful protestors had only flags in their hands, but were met with violence (Source: RFE/RL) Central Asia has seen conflict break out frequently, in the form of interethnic violence within divided communities, border conflict over disputed territory, and skirmishes over shared resources. However, in the post-independence period, authoritarian governments and leaders have protected their own interests by us

By Vladimir Kovtun, Alexander Smith, Kristie Moore, and Flora Tu Ultra-nationalists carry flags and banners as they take part in the so-called 'Russian March' in Moscow / Source: Al Jazeera Neo-Nazism has been present in Russian society for decades, emerging in the wake of significant political upheaval and societal change. It has intensified with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the Russian government has, at times, prosecuted extremist organizations, it has also toler

By Renata Lampert Image by AP Photo/Eraldo Peres. Brazil is home to more than 200 million people, of whom 56% identify as Black or Brown. Structural racism remains a major problem in Brazil. Black people account for 82% of the deaths from police operations. Additionally, 79% of murder victims and 53.6% of victims of feminicide are also Black. Recently, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the João Pinhe

Cambodia Supreme Court The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) condemns the decision of the Supreme Court of Cambodia to uphold the 14-year prison sentences imposed on journalists Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara, despite accepting an amicus curiae brief submitted by the IBAHRI setting out Cambodia’s obligations under international human rights law. The criminalisation of journalists via the imposition of lengthy custodial sentences for legitimate re

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

Brazil court orders recognition of Indigenous land and apology for historic atrocities. July 29, 2026 Shanna Hanbury Kajkwakratxi-Tapayuna leader Yaiku Suya at an April 2026 public hearing. Image courtesy of Larissa Silva/Rede Juruena Vivo. A federal judge in Brazil has given the country’s government 24 months to recognize the traditional territory of the Kajkwakratxi-Tapayuna Indigenous people in the northwestern state of Mato Grosso. The court accepted evidence from federal

In January 2017, the streets of Banjul, the tiny capital of The Gambia, fell silent. Shops shuttered. Families packed bags. Tens of thousands of people streamed across the border into Senegal – not because war had broken out, but because a deadline was approaching.

Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as ‘the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power’.

As kush spreads across Liberia, families face the fallout while traffickers remain largely out of reach.

State Repression of Civil Society and Protest Rights in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir July 2026 By Juliana Girotto Student activists protest in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday after unrest during the first phase of voting for the local legislature in the part of Kashmir it administers. Farooq Naeem / AFP via Getty Images Since early June 2026, authorities in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have carried out an escalating crackdown on protest movements

Peru's newly inaugurated President Fujimori vows military-led crackdown on crime. Peru's newly inaugurated President Keiko Fujimori - the ninth in just a decade - pledged to deploy the armed forces to crime-ridden areas and adopt a hardline security strategy as Peru grapples with its worst wave of gang violence, extortion and illegal mining in decades. July 28, 2026 By FRANCE 24 Peru's President Keiko Fujimori speaking after taking the oath of office. Photo: AFP. Peru's conse

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

By Michał Jagielski Senior Middle East and Iran Analyst Genocide Watch For almost three years, the daily lives of the Lebanese have been scored by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Since the prospect of renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah materialized into a full-scale war following Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, the buzzing of Israeli drones has become a constant feature of Lebanon’s soundscape. Children try to protect themselves from dust and smoke

Kosovo policeman guards the site where forensic teams have begun excavations of a mass grave near the village of Kalluder, Wednesday, July 29 2026 (AP Photo/Florent Bajrami) 30 July 2026 KALLUDER, Kosovo (AP) — Authorities in Kosovo have begun excavations in a northern village after the discovery of human remains there that are believed to be of people missing since the 1998-1999 Kosovo war in what at the time was a Serbian province. Authorities say the site in Kalluder, in t

Milei signs decree allowing Argentina to bar or expel foreigners over 'hate speech'. July 30, 2026 Milei government issues emergency decree allowing authorities to deny entry to or deport foreigners accused of inciting hatred, discrimination or violence against Argentina or for insulting national symbols. President Javier Milei. | cedoc/perfil President Javier Milei's government has issued an emergency decree authorising the expulsion or denial of entry to foreigners who inci

By Sarah Shamim July 29, 2026 The BJP government’s response so far has been a measured crackdown as it also attempts to woo the youth. Protesters celebrate after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following nationwide protests as part of the Cockroach Janta Party's movement in Mumbai, India, July 26, 2026. Credit: Rafiq Maqbool & AP in Al Jazeera As the dust settles over New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after weeks of some of the biggest protests against Prime Minister N

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters July 30, 2026 Deadly clashes reported in Pakistan-administered Kashmir amid first round of voting for regional elections on July 27. Activists protest in Islamabad, Pakistan on July 29 after unrest during the first phase of voting for the local legislature in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Credit: AFP in Al Jazeera Watchdogs have raised concerns over mounting reports of deadly clashes during regional elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir,

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

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

By Emery Makumeno June 26, 2026 The M23 rebels have captured huge tracts of DR Congo's east The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbour of breaching multiple international treaties. In a statement, DR Congo said Rwanda had dispatched forces and backed armed groups to carry out unlawful military operations on its territory following the 1994 Rwandan genocide. On Friday, Congolese Justice M