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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.
Liam Conejo Ramos, five, is detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after arriving home from preschool in a Minneapolis suburb on January 20. Photo: Ali Daniels via AP
United States

US must release 5-year-old ‘bunny hat boy’ detained by ICE, judge orders

Liam Conejo Ramos was allegedly used as bait to lure out his family, further strengthening the backlash against Trump’s migrant crackdown.

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela proposes to free hundreds of prisoners, close ‘torture’ prison

Spain

Chinese hair salon owner arrested in Barcelona for funding Hamas via crypto

Israel-Gaza war

Israel offers ‘limited’ Rafah reopening after nearly 2-year Gaza border shutdown

The reopening is part of phase two of the US ceasefire. Previously, it was Gaza’s main crossing for people and trade with Egypt.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territories. Photo: dpa
Middle East

US envoys to Israel blocked ‘apocalyptic’ Gaza warning in 2024: report

Leaked reports reveal US diplomats killed internal memos detailing dead bodies and famine in Gaza to avoid a ‘lack of balance’ in policy.

Middle East

‘They are trying to inject fear’: Iran rounding up thousands after crackdown

Security forces reportedly use unofficial warehouses and secret lock-ups as activists say arrests stand at more than 42,000.

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Music

How the folksy ‘Genuine American Hero’ became an anti-ICE anthem

Shootings in Minneapolis have led to scathing criticism from the likes of Jesse Welles and Bruce Springsteen.

Jesse Welles performs at the Metropol in Berlin, Germany, on December 15, 2025. The American guitarist and singer has emerged as a modern-day protest troubadour. Photo: Redferns
United States

As ICE cracks down, some of America’s biggest names are speaking out

The US president is facing a growing cultural revolt that threatens to undermine his signature domestic priority.

US-China relations

Chinese national Guan Heng, who filmed Xinjiang facilities, granted US asylum

The Department of Homeland Security initially sought to deport Guan to Uganda, but dropped the plan after his plight raised public concerns.

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Japan

Will North Korea compensate Japanese citizens lured into ‘paradise on Earth’?

A Tokyo court has ordered Pyongyang to pay damages, but the plaintiffs are now bracing for a long fight to enforce the ruling.

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Plaintiffs, their lawyers and supporters gather outside the Tokyo District Court after winning its decision ordering North Korea to pay damages over its decades-long human rights violations after luring them to move to the North by Pyongyang’s false promises of living in “paradise on Earth”, on Monday in Japan. Photo: AP
United States

Judge orders ICE chief to court over Trump’s immigration crackdown

Judge demands ICE chief explain why officials denied detained immigrants due process amid Trump’s crackdown in Minnesota.

Federal agents attempt to push protesters back near the scene of a shooting by a federal agent in Minneapolis on January 14. Photo: TNS
Spain

Spain to grant legal status to migrants defying Trump trend, Europe’s policies

New decree offers status to roughly 500,000 residents, in contrast to the deportation focus of Trump’s administration and some EU leaders.

Israel-Gaza war

Unicef delivers school kits to Gaza after 2.5-year Israel blockade

Thousands of school kits reach Gaza as Unicef confirms Israel lifts blockade that left children learning without pencils or books.

Gun violence in the US

ICE shooting of Alex Pretti sparks NRA backlash, Trump U-turn

Trump administration shifts tone after Republican allies and the NRA criticise officials for blaming a lawfully armed man for his own death.

A video screengrab shows a law enforcement officer pinning Alex Pretti before he was fatally shot in Minneapolis on January 24. Photo: Reuters
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.

Crew members of the ‘Ocean Viking’ ship take part in a night rescue exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: AFP
United States

ICE thaw? White House softens tone after Minneapolis killings outrage

Some federal agents will start leaving Minneapolis following White House talks with the state’s governor and city mayor.

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Donald Trump

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

Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the death of a nurse in Minnesota was a result ‍of ‘deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders’.

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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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Clashes at the scene where federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
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.

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.

Fifteen Chinese women in Spain have been freed after police smashed a prostitution ring. Photo: Shutterstock Images
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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