Gender equality woefully off track, new UN report reveals
17/9/2026: Not a single indicator on the Sustainable Development Goal for gender equality is on track to be met by 2030, according to a progress report. Amid broadening cuts to funding for development aid, programmes addressing gender inequality are amongst the hardest hit, with such funding falling to its lowest level since 2021.
Source: UN News
Architects of Iran’s suppression of 2022 protests must face international justice
16/9/2026: A report by Amnesty International finds that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their bloody suppression of the 2022 Woman Life Freedom uprising. Its in-depth investigation identifies 87 officials who should be accountable.
Source: Amnesty International
Russian recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine amounts to human trafficking
10/9/2026: Research by Amnesty details how individuals have been lured into the Russian Armed Forces under false pretences, including migrants and refugees already present in Russia. This amounts to human rights violation and the crime of human trafficking.
Source: Amnesty International
Human cost of violence in South Sudan as elections approach
10/9/2026: The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has warned that renewed violence and political tensions put the planned transition to democracy at risk. It calls on the authorities to create conditions for inclusive political dialogue ahead of elections scheduled for December. South Sudan is the world’s youngest country having gained independence from Sudan in July 2011.
Source: UN News
Nepal-Tibet disaster highlights restrictions on information in China
8/9/2026: Authorities in Nepal have published official government lists of persons missing in the glacier disaster, but families in Tibet have no such support. China's state control over the internet appears to have been deployed to conceal the true scale of the death toll.
Source: The Guardian
Tunisia: civil society under siege
2/9/2026: A report by Human Rights Watch documents how the Tunisian government has systematically cracked down on civil society groups and their members since 2024. The judiciary has been under the control of the executive since 2022, when President Saied took expansive measures to crush judicial independence.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Tibet flood victims have a right to be heard
31/8/2026: Censorship and self-censorship are pervasive throughout China, particularly in Tibetan areas. Human Rights Watch has received reports that journalists in China have been barred from the Tibetan disaster zone and from interviewing families; they must rely on official information narratives.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Africa’s aging autocrats fight to stay in power
28/8/2026: As some of Africa's longest-serving leaders grow older, they are using different tactics to extend their rule. But age, succession battles and public pressure pose new challenges.
Source: DW
Call to end pretrial detention of political opponents in Bangladesh
23/8/2026: Without being charged with any crime, hundreds of party officials and activists have been detained in prison in Bangladesh since Sheikh Hasina was forced to step down as prime minister in August 2024. Human Rights Watch is calling on the authorities to permit basic rights including bail and medical care.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Hong Kong court convicts activists for Tiananmen vigils
21/8/2026: The Hong Kong High Court has convicted two activists for their role in organising the city’s annual vigil for the victims of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. The court ruled that a mission to “end one-party dictatorship” in China constitutes an attempt to “overthrow” the Chinese government.
Source: Human Rights Watch