UN inquiry accuses Israel of crime of ‘extermination’ in Gaza | Al Jazeera

United Nations investigators have accused Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza’s health facilities and killing medical personnel during its war on the besieged enclave.

Saudi Arabia fails to win seat at top UN human rights body | Middle East Eye

Saudi Arabia has failed to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) after a vote for membership in the 2025-27 term.

Missing Mexican human rights activist and lawyer regularly received threats | ABC News

A human rights lawyer and activist who has been missing for nearly a week in southern Mexico regularly received threats related to her work, a colleague has said.

Outrage over murders of women forces Turkey’s Erdoğan to harden laws | POLITICO

A series of horrific killings of women has sparked national outrage in Turkey, forcing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to pledge to harden the country’s criminal law.

Sentence for Belarusian-American lawyer extended as Belarus cracks down on dissent | VOA

A Belarusian-American lawyer has had his prison term extended to a total of 13 1/2 years in the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent by Belarus’ repressive government, rights activists have said.

Human rights advocate Ethel Kennedy dies at 96 | BBC News

Ethel Kennedy, a human rights advocate and the widow of Robert F Kennedy, has died aged 96, her family says.

Iranian prisoners protest against rising executions | DW

Every week, political prisoners in Iran go on hunger strikes to protest against the death penalty. Rights organizations say the number of executions in the country has increased by over 20 per cent in the past year.

Hopes for LGBTQ+ asylum fade as Kenya snubs ‘those letters’ | Context

The man in charge of processing hundreds of thousands of asylum applications in Kenya says sexual minorities have no special rights on his watch, heightening anxiety among LGBTQ+ asylum seekers that their claims may be lost in limbo.

Surge in executions of Ukrainian POWs potentially link to changed Russian policy | Euromaidan Press

Ukraine’s head of the prosecutor general’s office, Yuriy Belousov, reported a significant increase in executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) by Russian forces in 2024, potentially indicating a change in Russian policy.

ECHR ruling for Cyprus asylum seekers may embolden refugees in buffer zone | The Guardian

A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights ordering authorities in Cyprus to pay damages to two Syrian refugees found to have been prevented from applying for asylum has been welcomed as a “perfect” victory by campaigners.

Prominent Palestinian activist slams US sanctions as ‘madness’ | Al Jazeera

A prominent Europe-based Palestinian activist has slammed the United States for issuing sanctions against him, dismissing the measure as an attempt to discourage him “from continuing my work for Palestine and advocating for my people’s rights”.