human rights groups

Six members of Turkey's Human Rights Association (İHD) are due to stand trial on 29 September and 2 October after spending months in pre-trial detention. The International Federation for Human Rights is drawing attention to the case, raising concerns about the prosecution of rights defenders and the prolonged detention of the accused before their hearings begin.

A rights group has cautioned against careless redevelopment in Syria, pointing to billions of dollars in construction deals being pursued without adequate legal safeguards. The warning highlights risks that reconstruction could proceed without protections for property rights, displaced residents, or accountability. Observers are watching how Syria's rebuilding will balance rapid investment against the legal and human rights concerns raised by advocacy organisations.

Greece has announced plans to establish a European deportation centre in Africa during its EU Council presidency, which begins in summer 2027. The government says preparations are reportedly already underway. The proposal revives long-debated plans to process returns and deportations outside Europe, a highly contentious idea among EU member states, human rights groups and migration experts.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office met with human rights defenders to discuss the safety of Belarusians and the accountability of Alexander Lukashenko's regime for ongoing repression. The talks focused on documenting abuses and protecting those targeted inside Belarus and in exile. Rights groups have long pressed for international accountability mechanisms over political persecution in the country.

The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights hosted a webinar roundtable bringing together experts to discuss Sudan's worsening humanitarian crisis. The event recapped analysis of the conflict's impact on civilians, including displacement, famine risks and access to aid. Organisers published a recap of the discussion, drawing attention to the escalating emergency in Sudan.

Two Singaporean television actors have been charged in connection with protests against the death penalty in Singapore. The case has drawn attention because of the country's strict laws on public demonstrations and its continued use of capital punishment, which human rights groups have repeatedly criticised. Details of the specific charges and the actors' identities were not immediately clear.

Pacific leaders are calling on Indonesia to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights access to West Papua, where concerns persist over alleged abuses and restrictions on reporting. The appeal reflects growing regional pressure on Jakarta to permit independent monitoring in the restive province. Human rights groups have long sought international scrutiny of the situation there.

A two-day conference in Oslo has concluded with participants agreeing on joint human rights principles and discussing coordinated future action. The gathering, reported by Iran-focused advocacy group Iran Human Rights, brought together rights organisations and supporters to align their positions. Details of who attended and what specific commitments were adopted remain limited in early reports.

A coalition of civil society organisations has issued a joint statement for International Safe Abortion Day 2026, declaring that safe abortion is essential healthcare and issuing a call to action. The statement urges governments and health systems to treat abortion access as a fundamental part of medical care and human rights, adding to ongoing global advocacy around reproductive rights.

Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government is in violation of a previous court order concerning visits to prisoners. The ruling finds the state failed to comply with arrangements it was required to allow. The decision adds to ongoing legal disputes between Israel’s judiciary and government, and is likely to draw attention from human rights groups and legal observers in the region.

The advocacy group Justice For All has endorsed Nuclear Abolition Day, calling for the total elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide. The organisation urged governments to pursue disarmament, framing nuclear arms as a threat to global justice and human security. The endorsement adds a human-rights voice to ongoing international campaigns against nuclear proliferation.

Mozambique's government has accepted 284 of the 292 recommendations issued through the UN's universal periodic review of its human rights record, rejecting only eight. The review covers issues such as civil liberties, justice and social rights. Human rights groups typically follow up on whether Maputo implements the pledges it has accepted.

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International UK, are calling for a fresh investigation into the murder of journalist Martin O'Hagan in Northern Ireland. O'Hagan was killed in 2001, the first journalist murdered there during the Troubles' aftermath, and no one has been convicted. Campaigners say his family has waited too long for justice and are pressing authorities to reopen the case.

A joint stakeholder report on human rights in the digital context in Uganda has been submitted for the country's Universal Periodic Review at the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council process. The report, compiled by civil society groups led by the Association for Progressive Communications, assesses Uganda's record on internet freedom, digital expression and online rights ahead of the review.

The Transitional Justice Working Group has released an issue brief documenting North Korea's transnational repression in China. The report examines how Pyongyang pursues and controls North Korean defectors on Chinese territory, a practice that raises serious human rights and refugee protection concerns. Human rights organisations are drawing attention to the findings and calling for greater scrutiny of Beijing's role in detaining and repatriating defectors.

The Baloch National Movement held a protest in Geneva, calling attention to alleged human rights violations in Pakistan's Balochistan province. The demonstration took place in the Swiss city, which hosts the United Nations human rights bodies, giving activists a platform to raise their concerns before the international community. The group is urging global attention to enforced disappearances and abuses it says are occurring in the restive region.

The Baloch American Congress has urged the United Nations and world leaders to take action over what it describes as human rights violations in Balochistan. The group is calling for international attention to the situation in the province, which has long been the subject of rights concerns raised by activists and diaspora organisations.