Articles

GHRD Returns to the Palais des Nations With a New Exhibition on Minority Rights in Asia

This exhibition highlights documented human rights violations against minority communities across Asia, including religious and ethnic groups facing discrimination, enforced disappearances, restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, and systemic marginalisation. Through testimonies, photographs, and case studies, it seeks to raise awareness and promote accountability at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The New Generalised Scheme of Preferences Approach: Commission Organises Civil Society Dialogue

This press release summarizes discussions on the European Union’s revised Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) framework ahead of its 2027 implementation. It highlights proposed changes to GSP+ eligibility, strengthened compliance and monitoring mechanisms, concerns regarding human rights performance in beneficiary countries, and the relationship between trade preferences and international human rights obligations.

How the Taliban’s New Decree No. 18 Endangers Afghan Women and Girls

In May 2026 the Taliban issued Decree No. 18, a divorce law that discretely gives child marriage a place in Afghanistan‘s legal system and treats a girl‘s silence as her consent. It also makes leaving a marriage far harder for women than for men. This article examines what that means.

United Nations Human Rights Council Opens its 62nd Session in Geneva

The UN Human Rights Council opened its 62nd session in Geneva on 15 June 2026, with High Commissioner Volker Türk warning of an unprecedented assault on international law and calling for human rights to be placed at the core of responses to today’s gravest global crises.

A Right to Return? Analysis of the Chagos Island Dispute and the Rights of Chagossians

The Chagossians were forcefully displaced in 1971 and continue to be banned from returning. Last year, an agreement was reached between the UK and Mauritius on the return of the Chagos Islands. However, the subsequent question of whether the self-determination rights and the right to return of the Chagossians remain unanswered.

Free by Law, Enslaved by Birth: How Mauritania’s Anti-Slavery Laws Fail the Haratin

Mauritania has banned slavery again and again, yet thousands of people are still born into it. Almost all of them are Haratin, who make up about 40 per cent of the country. The laws are strong, but the courts rarely convict slaveholders, and the activists who fight slavery are jailed more often than the people who keep them. This article asks why abolition has become impunity, and what must change.

Three Years of Violence in Sudan: Women and Girls on the Frontline of the Conflict

This press release highlights GHRD’s New York event on the conflict in Sudan, focusing on sexual violence, civilian targeting, displacement, and evidence collection. Speakers stressed that the international community has both the evidence and legal tools needed to pursue accountability, support survivors, and address the external actors enabling the conflict.

Kenya’s Downhill Battle for Women’s Reproductive Rights

Kenya’s Court of Appeal recently delivered judgement denying the constitutional right to abortion. Despite its international obligations and domestic framework guaranteeing the right to health and equality for women, reproductive rights remain a highly controversial topic within the state. The importance of free and legal reproductive healthcare must be ensured to achieve women’s right to freedom, education, and dignity are protected.

Women’s Rights in Bangladesh

Security Over Identity: Iran’s Suppression of Ahwazi Arab Identity

This article examines the systemic discrimination faced by Iran’s Ahwazi Arab minority, focusing on the criminalisation of cultural identity, restrictions on language and expression, violent repression of protests, and the misuse of national security laws. It argues that these practices violate Iran’s obligations under international human rights law, including protections for minority rights, freedom of expression, fair trial guarantees, and the right to life.

Human Trafficking Remains one of the Gravest Human Rights Violations of our Time and Represents a Modern Form of Slavery

Human trafficking is a significant human rights violation, representing modern slavery, driven by criminal networks, corruption, and weak enforcement. Millions endure forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other abuses. As Chairman of Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), I urge the international community to intensify efforts against human trafficking. Governments and organizations must collaborate to protect victims and prosecute traffickers. Recognized by the UN as a severe violation, human dignity cannot be compromised. Inaction only fortifies exploitative networks; collective action is essential for justice and protection of all lives.

Progress and Limitations in International Accountability for Duterte’s ‘War on Drugs’

Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs campaign in the Philippines involved thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings and other crimes. Such actions have led the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute Duterte for his involvement. This article examines the ICC’s response to alleged crimes committed during Duterte’s campaign.

Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Blasphemy Laws, Violence, and Human Rights Concerns

This article examines the human rights challenges facing religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly in relation to blasphemy laws and their impact on vulnerable communities. It analyses due process concerns, mob violence, and state responsibility, while assessing Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law and proposing reforms to strengthen legal protections and accountability.

World Press Freedom Day 2026: European Parliament Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Journalists and Democratic Resilience

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2026, the European Parliament highlighted the global decline of media independence due to violence, legal harassment, and AI-driven disinformation. Experts and lawmakers demanded the EU move beyond condemnation to concrete action, such as better funding distribution, monitoring internal violations of the Media Freedom Act, and using diplomatic leverage to protect journalists worldwide.

Women’s Rights Crisis in Pakistan

Despite constitutional guarantees and international commitments, women and gender-diverse communities in Pakistan face a severe human rights crisis driven by institutional failure, rising physical and cyber violence, parallel customary justice systems and the weaponisation of penal laws.

The Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia

This article examines the worsening humanitarian situation faced by Indigenous peoples in Colombia amid escalating armed conflict and political instability. It highlights mass displacement, confinement, targeted killings of Indigenous leaders, forced recruitment of children, and the disproportionate impact of violence on Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. The article also discusses the role of armed groups, extractive industries, and weak implementation of legal protections in perpetuating the crisis.

Labour Rights and Compliance Gaps in China

This article examines labour rights in China, highlighting the gap between statutory protections and their implementation. It explores restrictions on independent trade unions, exploitation of migrant and technology-sector workers, allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang, and the challenges posed by state control over labour representation and civil society.

International Women’s Day Overshadowed by Islamabad Police

This article examines the arrest and detention of women participating in the 2026 Aurat March in Islamabad, Pakistan, and analyses the events through the lens of international human rights law. It argues that the authorities’ use of preventive legal provisions to block peaceful demonstrations reflects a broader pattern of suppressing women-led activism, drawing parallels with previous crackdowns on protesters. The article highlights potential violations of the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and legal representation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Addressing Forced Exile, Removal of Nationality and Statelessness: The EU Extends Support to Stateless People Worldwide

This article summarises a European Parliament exchange of views on statelessness, forced exile, and the deprivation of nationality as tools of repression. Speakers highlighted how authoritarian governments and discriminatory legal systems leave millions without nationality, restricting access to healthcare, education, documentation, and protection. Testimonies from Nicaragua and the Rohingya community illustrated the severe human consequences of forced displacement and denationalisation, while experts and civil society representatives called for stronger EU sanctions, more coherent foreign policy, improved asylum protections, and sustained international accountability efforts.

Global Human Rights Defence Holds Protest at the Peace Palace Against Pakistan-Sponsored Terrorism

This press release highlights GHRD’s peaceful protest at the Peace Palace in The Hague marking the anniversary of the Pahalgam Kashmir attack. The event honoured the victims, condemned terrorism, and called for justice, accountability, minority protection, and stronger international cooperation to promote peace and security in Kashmir.

The European Parliament Targets Industrialized Misogyny: A Call For Urgent Ban on AI “Nudifier” Apps

This article covers a European Parliament FEMM Committee hearing on the rise of AI-facilitated gender-based violence, particularly the spread of non-consensual deepfake pornography and “nudifier” applications. Experts, lawmakers, and civil society representatives warned that existing AI and digital platform laws are failing due to weak enforcement and profit-driven platform models. The hearing stressed the urgent need for stronger corporate accountability, EU-wide bans on exploitative AI tools, improved protection for women and children online, and a proactive approach that treats digital safety as a fundamental human rights and public health issue.