Blanket internet shutdown violates rights in Uganda
15/1/2026: On January 13, Uganda’s telecommunications regulator ordered all mobile network operators and internet service providers to suspend public access, two days before the general elections. Human Rights Watch says that blanket shutdowns undermine fundamental rights and threaten election integrity.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Iran’s internet blackout concealing atrocities
12/1/2026: Since January 8, the Iranian authorities have imposed a country-wide internet blackout, which has severely hampered efforts to corroborate unlawful killings of protesters. Iranian civil society organizations and the media have reported that the death toll has reached the thousands.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN human rights chief ‘deeply disturbed’ over right to protest in Iran
9/1/2026: The UN human rights chief has called for an independent and transparent investigation into reports of deaths and widespread arrests during ongoing nationwide protests in Iran, amid mounting concerns over the use of force by security forces. Multiple news outlets have reported nationwide internet and communication shutdowns.
Source: UN News
Myanmar vote a ‘facade’ to entrench military rule
8/1/2026: An independent human rights expert has urged the international community to reject the electoral process organised by Myanmar’s military government, after the first round of voting revealed widespread coercion, exclusion and violence. Two further rounds are scheduled for 11 and 25 January.
Source: UN News
Calls for urgent action as backlash against women’s rights intensifies
5/1/2026: The growing opposition to feminist values and principles is threatening to undo decades of legal progress. A policy brief by Equality Now calls on governments to counter the backlash, defend human rights standards, support civil society, and uphold gender equality.
Source: Equality Now
CIVICUS 2025 Report reveals widespread attacks on civic freedoms
11/12/2025: According to the People Power Under Attack report published by Civicus, most countries are experiencing some degree of obstructed civil liberties. As authoritarian governments strengthen their hold, civilians face limitations to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, as well as notable crackdowns on press freedoms.
Source: Inter Press Service
The Hong Kong fire and the human cost of China’s repression
6/12/2025: Could the fire that claimed at least 159 lives in seven high-rise residential buildings have been prevented if Hong Kong still had a free media and a democratic legislature? Since 2020, when the Chinese government imposed a draconian National Security Law on Hong Kong, these safeguards have been gutted.
Source: Human Rights Watch
International Criminal Court: justice at risk
1/12/2025: Human Rights Watch is calling on member states of the International Criminal Court to fight back against its critics. The Annual Meeting of the Court is an opportunity to highlight that US sanctions on ICC prosecutors could severely set back the global fight against impunity.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN chief condemns Guinea-Bissau coup
28/11/2025: The UN has strongly condemned the military coup in Guinea-Bissau, warning that the overthrow of elected authorities just days after national elections represents a grave violation of democratic principles. The coup marks the latest military takeover in West and Central Africa, underscoring persistent regional instability.
Source: UN News
Burkina Faso: three years of broken promises
27/11/2025: Three years ago, Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in Burkina Faso promising to address the country’s security crisis and restore civilian rule. Now he has postponed elections until 2029, dissolved the independent electoral commission and pulled the country out of the International Criminal Court. Burkina Faso has become a military dictatorship.
Source: Inter Press Service