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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.
A protester in the Hague holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Philippines ex-president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa
The Philippines

Duterte’s downfall: will Marcos face an election backlash in the Philippines?

Ex-president Duterte is behind bars in The Hague and his daughter is fighting for political survival. But don’t discount a comeback in 2028.

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Mainland China

Editorial | Kirsty Coventry must rise to Olympic challenge after stunning win

Indonesia

Indonesian fishermen sue Bumble Bee Seafoods in landmark forced labour case

United States

Opinion | How Trump’s assault on US universities is reshaping rivalry with China

In purging individuals and ideas from US universities, Donald Trump’s new ‘red scare’ will only diminish America’s ability to attract top tech talent.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Indonesia

Indonesia military law protests signal fears of democratic erosion under Prabowo

The amended bill brought back bad memories of Suharto-era militarism, when lines between civilian and military spheres were blurred, critics said.

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United States

US homeland security chief warns migrants in visit to El Salvador mega-jail

Kristi Noem’s trip to CECOT comes as the Trump administration seeks to show it is deporting the ‘worst of the worst’.

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Africa

Sudan army chief declares capital ‘free’ from inside presidential palace

Sudan’s de facto leader says capital has been retaken, signalling a pivotal moment in the conflict.

Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gestures to soldiers inside the presidential palace on Wednesday. Photo: Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council via Reuters
European Union

Austria to be first EU nation to stop refugee family reunification

From May, Austria will pause family reunifications for those with asylum status.

The Philippines

Brewing justice: Philippines cafe offers healing and hope after Duterte’s ICC arrest

The coffee shop, dedicated to victims of the former president’s drug war, described his arrest as ‘the first step’ towards justice.

Indonesia

Delivery of dead rats to Indonesian reporters sparks fears over freedom curbs

The incident allegedly targeting Tempo happened three days after a severed pig’s head was sent to a reporter from the magazine.

A box of headless, dead rats that was sent to Tempo’s journalists in Jakarta is the latest incident of press intimidation in Indonesia. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Opinion | In handing Duterte to ICC, Marcos stirs up Philippine hornets’ nest

Too many questions surround the abrupt U-turn on cooperation with the International Criminal Court, from sovereignty to political persecution.

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Police block protesters as they try to march towards Malacanang palace in Manila, Philippines, on March 17 to call on the government to rejoin the ICC after the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP
Middle East

Israel releases Oscar-winning Palestinian director attacked by settlers

Hamdan Ballal’s wife said three men beat her husband with the butts of their rifles and another person reportedly filmed the violence.

Diplomacy

Opinion | As US-led globalisation falters, China-Europe relations can flourish

Western leaders committed to the rules-based order must promote dialogue with Beijing while quietly upholding values now rejected by Washington.

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The Philippines

Supporters of Philippine’s Duterte call on God, Trump to bring him home

Experts say there is little chance of the 80-year-old gaining early release due to a lack of legal avenues to challenge his ICC detention.

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A supporter of Rodrigo Duterte holds a placard during a demonstration in support of the Philippines ex-president in The Hague on Sunday. Photo: dpa
Indonesia

Indonesia set to allow domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia after 10-year ban

Jakarta is expected to send 600,000 domestic helpers and skilled labourers to Saudi Arabia, but rights groups are concerned about the move.

Indonesian migrant workers who were set to be sent to Saudi Arabia being inspected by the police at a shelter in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. Photo: EPA
Pakistan

Pakistan charges human rights, Baloch activist with ‘terrorism’

Mahrang Baloch, one of Pakistan’s most prominent human rights advocates, has long campaigned for the Baloch ethnic group.

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela to resume US deportation flights after citizens sent to El Salvador

Caracas is seeking the return of its ‘kidnapped’ citizens, who were moved to a Salvadorean high-security facility by Trump’s administration.

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Pakistan

Leading human rights, Baloch advocate detained in Pakistan

Mahrang Baloch has long campaigned for the Baloch ethnic group, which alleges extrajudicial harassment, arrests and killings by Islamabad.

Supporters of the Baloch hold placards as they rally to protest after their leader Mahrang Baloch was arrested in Quetta, in Islamabad on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Middle East

Syria’s Alawite minority finds refuge in Lebanon

Nearly 16,000 Syrians have arrived since early March, adding to the 1.5 million who sought refuge in Lebanon during the 14-year civil war.

Bangladesh

Trump’s US aid cuts to add to Rohingya refugees’ misery as food rations bite

UN World Food Program said that without additional funds, it would have to cut food rations to US$6 a month from US$12.50 in Cox’s Bazar.

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Thailand

Pregnant women among hundreds in limbo at Thai-Myanmar border in scams curb

Thailand is fronting a regional effort to dismantle scam centres along its borders, which are part of a fraud network across multiple countries.

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Victims of scam centres who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar, sit in a compound on the Thailand-Myanmar border in February. Photo: via Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesian reporter receives pig’s head in incident condemned as ‘terror attack’

The severed head was found in a cardboard box delivered to Francisca Christy Rosana, who works for the Tempo magazine.

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An Indonesian reporter with Tempo magazine has received a severed pig’s head in an incident condemned as a “terror attack”. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

Opinion | The decline of the American empire: how Trumpism threatens democracy worldwide

The United States once championed democracy. Now it is retreating behind militarism, demagoguery and despotism.

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Bhutan

Bhutan’s life sentences for political prisoners is illegal, UN says

The UN report noted that it was ‘discriminatory’ to single out members of a minority group for expressing political opinions.

Indonesia

Indonesia passes contentious changes to military law amid protests

Civil society groups have criticised the changes, saying it could take Indonesia back to the draconian era of former president Suharto.

Indonesian student activists protest against the revision of the country’s military law in front of the Parliament building in Jakarta. Photo: EPA-EFE
Israel-Gaza war

Israel investigating UN worker’s death in Gaza, military denies striking compound

Five also injured in explosion at UN building that UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva said ‘was not an accident’.

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The impact of a projectile is visible on the wall of a UN guest house in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Duterte’s arrest sparks Philippine disinformation frenzy targeting ICC judges

Duterte’s ICC arrest sparked a wave of disinformation, with fake news and fabricated quotes flooding Philippine social media, potentially affecting his interim release.

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South Korea

South Korean county under pressure to scrap ‘absurd’ plan to host Myanmar refugees

The proposal to bring in 40 refugees has raised welfare concerns among Yeongyang residents, who question the government’s priority on helping locals.

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