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Human rights

Human rights
Latest news, features and analysis on human rights, with a focus on civil liberties in Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
Crew members of the ‘Ocean Viking’ ship take part in a night rescue exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: AFP
United Nations

Hundreds feared missing or dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks, UN says

IOM investigates reports of vessels being impacted by bad weather after departing from Tunisia and Libya for Europe.

United States

ICE thaw? White House softens tone after Minneapolis killings outrage

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Donald Trump

Trump does not want to see people killed on US streets, White House says

Israel-Gaza war

Israel recovers final hostage remains, key for next phase of Gaza truce

Returning all hostages has been central to the Gaza ceasefire. Gvili’s family urged Israel to delay phase two until his remains are returned.

People in Tel Aviv hold signs with a photo of Ran Gvili, who was killed on October 7, 2023. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Duterte vs ICC: judges reject ‘unfit’ plea, set date for drug war case

The 80-year-old faces a February hearing on crimes against humanity after the court rejected defence arguments that he was unfit to take part.

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United States

The public face of Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign

From tossing tear gas to defending fatal shootings, the US Border Patrol chief relishes his high-profile role in Trump’s America.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israel launches ‘large-scale operation’ to locate last hostage in Gaza

Israel’s Netanyahu conditions the opening of Gaza’s vital southern border on the recovery of Ran Gvili’s remains.

People hold signs with a photo of Ran Gvili, during a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel on Friday. Photo: AP
United States

‘Wake-up call’: Obama and Clinton speak out as latest killing shocks US

Two former presidents join the outcry over the shooting of Alex Pretti, as video analysis appears to contradict the government’s statements.

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Britain

UK police arrest dozens after protesters breach prison grounds

The incident took place outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London, where a pro-Palestinian hunger striker is being held.

US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners as leader tells US ‘enough orders’

Rights group says it has verified the identities of 104 of those freed as Venezuela navigates life after Maduro.

Foro Penal estimates there are about 800 political prisoners in the South American country. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Video | Can Myanmar’s elections bring an end to its civil war?

International observers and bodies have slammed the elections as a sham that is neither free nor fair.

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Spain

‘Slavery’: Spanish police free 15 Chinese women forced into prostitution

Fourteen people were arrested, including Chinese nationals, after a woman escaped her captors and reported sexual and physical assaults.

Cambodia

Video | South Korean scam suspects brought home from Cambodia

Seoul continues its crackdown on scam centres in Southeast Asia following the kidnapping and murder of a South Korean student in Cambodia.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel to empty Gaza of Palestinians with ‘more out than in’ policy: sources

As the Rafah crossing reopens next week, sources say Israel aims for a net outflow of Palestinians by blocking returns, raising fears of forced exile.

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People wait outside the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah in November 2023. Photo: dpa
United States

‘Used as bait’: outrage after ICE detains 5-year-old boy in Minnesota

ICE allegedly had the boy knock on his front door to lure family out. Father and son are now detained in Texas, with their asylum case under review.

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Liam Conejo Ramos, 5, is detained by ICE officers after arriving home from school on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Israel-Gaza war

Israeli forces kill Palestinian children, journalists in Gaza despite ceasefire

Eleven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, threatening the peace deal as the US tries to push the agreement forward.

Malaysia

Rohingya refugees at risk of removal as Malaysia begins biometric documentation

Rohingya are often undocumented as Myanmar’s authorities refuse to recognise them as a legitimate community.

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Iran

Iran says 3,117 died in protests in first official toll. Activists fear it’s much higher

Activists report toll is at least 4,902, with many more feared dead in the demonstrations that began December 28.

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A woman with a mock-up of a gunshot bullet wound on her forehead participates in a rally in Rome on January 13 in support of nationwide protests in Iran. Photo: Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Chile’s president-elect picks Pinochet lawyers as ministers of human rights, defence

Jose Antonio Kast installs a ‘great team for difficult times’, after being elected on a wave of anti-crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.

Middle East

Opinion | Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its Middle East strategy?

The assumption that domestic unrest can be treated as background noise, unlikely to disrupt energy flows, is becoming increasingly untenable.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s demolition of UN compound in East Jerusalem raises legal concerns

Israel banned UNRWA in October 2024 over alleged Hamas ties. The agency says demolition of sites that stored Gaza aid violates international law.

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Heavy machinery operates as Israeli forces dismantle UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Poverty

Opinion | Why we should aspire to raising living standards for all

Our history of progress shows we can care for a growing population, but only if we tackle inequality and protect the environment.

Young people enjoy the waves on a beach near the Nouakchott Artisanal Port in Mauritania on July 17 last year. The UN projects that the world population will grow to 11.2 billion by 2100. Photo: Reuters
Iran

Hackers target Iran state TV with exiled prince’s message to forces

In clips, Reza Pahlavi urges security forces to ‘join the people’ in the nationwide demonstrations.

United States

Pentagon readies 1,500 troops for potential Minnesota deployment

US Army units from Alaska ordered to prepare for Minnesota surge as governor mobilises National Guard.

Donald Trump

Trump thanks Iran for ‘cancelling’ hanging of hundreds of political prisoners

The president has suggested for days that the US might strike Iran if its government triggered mass killings in its crackdown on protesters.

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A member of the Iranian community holds a poster depicitng Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and US President Donald Trump outside the US embassy in Bucharest, Romania, on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Middle East

Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami urged the execution of detained protesters, a step the Trump administration warned could spark military action.

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Iranian senior cleric Ahmad Khatami delivers his sermon during Friday prayer in Tehran in January 2018. Photo: AP
Hong Kong society

Hongkonger missing in protest-hit Iran safe and ‘in touch’ with authorities

Immigration Department says it has also advised the woman to leave Iran as soon as possible.

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United States

Trump admin closer to deporting pro-Palestinian activist after court ruling

The ruling, which reversed an earlier decision to release Khalil, is a win for the Trump administration’s efforts to deport the ex-student.

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