Choi Min-kyung, a 53-year-old North Korean defector, has filed a lawsuit in South Korea against Kim Jong-un and six officials, seeking 50 million won ($37,000) for torture and sexual violence she suffered in North Korean detention. She also filed a criminal complaint asking for an investigation into crimes against humanity. Choi was repatriated from China [...]
Many migrant workers in Saudi Arabia are dying in preventable workplace accidents, such as falls, electrocution, and heat-related incidents, especially with the growing construction for the 2034 FIFA World Cup and other large projects. Authorities have been criticized for failing to protect workers, investigate deaths properly, or ensure fair and timely compensation to families. In [...]
Moussa Tiangari, a prominent human rights defender and secretary general of Citizens Alternative Spaces (AEC), was arrested on December 3, 2024, in Niamey, Niger, and charged with terrorism-related offenses including, “criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorist enterprise” and “plotting against the authority of the state.” If convicted, he could face the death penalty or [...]
Brunei's civic space is rated as repressed, with limited freedoms of expression, assembly, and association. The Sultan, holding absolute power since 1984, governs under a state of emergency, restricting rights such as free speech and press freedom through laws like the Sedition Act and the Undesirable Publications Act. The country also criminalizes defamation and restricts [...]
The Lao government has systematically persecuted ethnic minorities, particularly the Hmong since its one-party communist rule began in 1975. Branded as “hostile dissenters” due to their U.S. alliance during the Vietnam War, the Hmong are denied indigenous status and legal protections. Since the late 1970s, state-led military offensives have killed thousands and displaced around 300,000. [...]
Niger's junta has released over 50 detainees, including former ministers of defense, oil, and finance, as well as senior army officers, following recommendations from a February national conference. Among those freed are former ministers Mahamane Sani Issoufou, Kalla Moutari, Ahmat Jidoud, and Ibrahim Yacoubou, along with a diplomat, journalist, and soldiers previously convicted for attempting [...]
A week ago, Sudan's military retook Khartoum from the RSF militia in a turning point in the violent war. The city has, however, been devastated by unimaginable brutality, such as extensive looting, destruction of cultural sites, and extreme human suffering. Civilians were subjected to starvation, disease, and terror, with many being killed or sexually violated. [...]