Apr 01 Human rights group urges Lebanon to abolish anti-LGBT law By Associated Press After Lebanon's top military prosecutor declined to prosecute a "sodomy" case, Human Rights Watch is urging Lebanon to abolish a law criminalizing homosexuality. Continue reading
Jul 25 U.S. acts to release $195M in suspended military aid to Egypt By Associated Press The United States has decided to release $195 million in military aid to Egypt after withholding the assistance last year over human rights concerns, the State Department announced Wednesday. Continue reading
Jul 03 Syrian group uncovering Islamic State mass graves needs help, watchdog says By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Activists working to uncover mass graves in northeastern Syria — a region until recently controlled by the Islamic State group — need help to preserve evidence and identify human remains, an international watchdog said Tuesday. Continue reading
Apr 27 Watch 6:57 The Rohingya are still fleeing persecution in Myanmar. What can be done to stop it? Rohingya Muslims have suffered innumerable atrocities in Myanmar, only to face poverty, desperation and human trafficking as refugees in Bangladesh. John Yang talks with Skye Wheeler of Human Rights Watch for a broader look at their plight. Continue watching
Dec 08 Facing war and hunger, momentum for women’s rights slows in Yemen By Larisa Epatko In Yemen, where forces loyal to the government are clashing with Houthi rebels, millions are going hungry. Because food is so scarce, aid groups are finding they have to focus on life-saving measures and set women’s empowerment efforts aside –… Continue reading
Oct 05 Watch 7:33 The controversial force joining the fight against ISIS By PBS News Hour Militia groups, made up mostly of Shia fighters and often backed by Iran, have become instrumental in the charge to drive the Islamic State from Iraq. But their battlefield presence makes them a controversial force -- many militia members are… Continue watching
Aug 07 Philippines president accuses judges, mayors of drug trade involvement By Daniel Moritz-Rabson Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte publicly accused more than 150 judges, lawmakers, mayors and police officers of involvement in illegal drug trafficking on Sunday during a nationally televised speech in Davao City. Continue reading
May 03 What’s behind the killings of bloggers, activists and professors in Bangladesh? By Laura Santhanam In Bangladesh, progressive voices have been swept up in a growing wave of unprecedented violence. In April alone, four people were hacked to death. Continue reading
Feb 27 Saudi court sentences man to 10 years, 2,000 lashes for atheist tweets By Daniel Costa-Roberts A court in Saudi Arabia has handed down a guilty verdict in the case of a professed atheist accused of posting hundreds of tweets denying God's existence and criticizing religion. His sentence: a decade in prison, a fine and a… Continue reading
Dec 12 U.S. sends mixed message to backsliding Myanmar By Matthew Pennington, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Human rights advocates and some lawmakers say the United States is sending the wrong signal by opening the door for broader engagement with Myanmar’s widely criticized military just weeks after President Barack Obama assured opposition leader Aung San… Continue reading