Human Rights

25/2/2026: The ownership, tenure or use rights of only 35 percent of the world’s land is formally documented, according to a new UN report. More than one billion people fear that they could lose the rights to some or all of their land and housing within the next five years. And more than a third of the world’s stored carbon and 40 percent of its intact forests are at risk of legal limbo.

Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization

25/2/2026: Three months ahead of national elections, Ethiopia’s Media Authority revoked the license of the Addis Standard, one of the last independent media outlets in the country. Since 2025, Ethiopian government efforts to muzzle independent media have escalated through arbitrary arrests and revocation of licenses of journalists.

Source: Human Rights Watch

20/2/2026: Amnesty International is calling on all UN member states to coordinate urgent diplomatic action, demanding that Iranian authorities quash death sentences for alleged offences linked to the January 2026 protests. Eight individuals have been sentenced to death and over 50 others are at risk of the death penalty, including two 17-year-olds.

Source: Amnesty International

18/2/2026: Men arrested in Senegal under homophobic laws could face up to five years in prison. Hostility toward LGBT people has intensified in Senegal where the Penal Code criminalizes consensual same‑sex conduct as “acts against nature.

Source: Human Rights Watch

16/2/2026: Amnesty International has praised the courage of those inside Russia who ensured that critical evidence was preserved to prove that Aleksei Navalny was killed by poison. In the past year, a number of Navalny’s lawyers and media professionals have been handed long prison sentences solely for peacefully exercising their human rights.

Source: Amnesty International

13/2/2026: Amnesty International UK has welcomed the High Court judgement declaring the Government’s proscription of Palestine Action under terrorism legislation unlawful – a vital affirmation of the right to protest at a time when it has been under sustained and deliberate attack. The government intends to appeal.

Source: Amnesty International

13/2/2026: A senior UN official has warned that the human rights system is at breaking point due to the collapse in UN funding.  The monitoring work of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was reduced by over 50 percent in 2025, at a time when attacks on human rights and multilateralism intensify, and atrocities are committed with an expectation of impunity,

Source: Human Rights Watch

13/2/2026: A report released by the UN human rights office investigates the RSF assault on the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur last October. The report concludes that the atrocities committed amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Sudan's national army and the Rapid Support Forces militia have been fighting for control of the country for almost three years. 

Source: UN News

10/2/2026: The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International reveals a worrying picture of long-term decline in leadership to tackle corruption. Even established democracies, like the US, UK and New Zealand, are experiencing a drop in performance. At the same time, many states are increasing restrictions on civic space.

Source: Transparency International

9/2/2026: Hong Kong’s High Court has sentenced pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison for conspiracy. Lai, a 78 year-old British citizen, has been recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

Source: Amnesty International