Human Rights Watch is warning countries not to rush into restoring diplomatic ties with Eritrea without clear steps toward justice and accountability. Reports say the United States is considering easing sanctions that were imposed over serious human rights abuses linked to Eritrean forces during the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. However, rights groups argue that [...]
The Taliban’s new family law in Afghanistan has shocked many people around the world because it gives more power to child marriage and takes away the rights of young girls. Under these rules, girls can be promised or married at a very young age, sometimes even as babies, often because poor families need money to [...]
The regime in Eritrea is shaped by a strong focus on control, security, and survival. It comes from a long history of war and struggle, which has made the government cautious and highly centralized. Leaders see many outside influences as potential threats, so they limit political freedom and avoid open systems that could weaken their [...]
Eritrea is one of the world's main sources of refugees, despite its small population. Many people leave because of strict government control and a lack of freedom under President Isaias Afwerki. Citizens are forced into long national service, often for many years, with little or no pay, and they cannot easily leave the country. People [...]
People in Eritrea face serious and ongoing human rights problems. Reports from the United Nations Human Rights Council say the government has committed crimes like torture, imprisonment, and forced labor for many years. Many citizens are forced into long and unpaid national service, sometimes for life, and even children can be affected. People who speak [...]
Since the coup in Niger in 2023, freedom of expression and association has been under threat. Journalists claim that they are intimidated, harassed, and arrested at times, and this has forced many of them to self-censor. On January 17, 2025, the government suspended the Canal 3 TV station for 30 days because the station’s editor, [...]
In Eritrea, Christians experience intense persecution and fear. The government recognizes only four religious communities: the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, and Islam. Christians from other churches, particularly Protestant churches, are not recognized by the government. Some converts from Islam or the Orthodox Church to Protestant churches experience severe persecution from [...]
In Eritrea, girls are forced to serve in the military from as young as age 16, usually during their last year of secondary school. The indefinite, compulsory service has been likened by former recruits to a slavery system, with no time limit in sight. The daily life involves early morning jogging, severe weapons training, and [...]
The flow of outside news into North Korea is shrinking fast. Free North Korea Radio (FNK), based in Seoul, has broadcast uncensored foreign news into North Korea for two decades. But this year, big government-funded broadcasters from the United States and South Korea stopped broadcasting, after funding cuts and policy changes. As a result, foreign [...]
Religious freedom in Brunei is very limited, and the government gives special importance to Islam, which is the official religion. People who are not Muslims, such as Christians, Buddhists, and others, face many restrictions. They are not allowed to build new churches or temples easily, and only old churches from before 1984 are officially recognized. [...]