Articles

The Right to Self-Determination of the Sahrawi People

This article examines Western Sahara’s unresolved status as a non-self-governing territory and the Sahrawi people’s long-denied right to self-determination. It traces the historical background of Spanish withdrawal, Moroccan occupation, the failed UN referendum process, and the legal foundations supporting Sahrawi political choice. The piece argues that recent UN approaches risk weakening the right to self-determination by prioritising political feasibility over a genuine democratic outcome.

Deprivation of Liberty in Times of Occupation: What Treatment Should Palestinian Detainees Receive Under International Law?

Israel enforces a differentiated justice systems in Occupied Palestinian Territories for Israeli settlers and Palestinian nationals. Palestinian nationals are subject to deprivation of liberty grounded in criminal and security offences that can only be reviewed by Military Courts. While such distinction is, to a very limited extent, compatible with the Fourth Geneva Convention, the treatment and procedural safeguards that Israel provide to Palestinian detainees contravenes various obligations of Israel under such convention.

The Yazidi Survivors Law and Iraq’s Unmet Obligations Under International Human Rights Law

This article examines Iraq’s Yazidi Survivors Law and the gap between its legal promises and practical implementation for survivors of ISIL atrocities. It analyses how the criminal complaint requirement, the exclusion of children born of sexual violence, and the failure to establish rehabilitation services undermine Iraq’s obligations under international human rights law. The piece argues that these shortcomings deny Yazidi survivors effective reparations, protection, and long-term justice.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians: Religious and Ethnic Persecution

This article explores the escalating violence and institutional persecution faced by Amhara Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia within the broader context of ethnic federalism and political conflict. It examines how the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s cultural and historical influence has increasingly been perceived as a political threat, contributing to targeted violence, displacement, arbitrary arrests, and attacks on religious institutions. The article further analyses whether these patterns of abuse may amount to crimes against humanity or genocide under international law.

The Practice of Kindoki: A Child’s Rights Perspective in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This article examines the phenomenon of Kindoki in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its devastating impact on children accused of witchcraft. It explores how poverty, conflict, social instability, and unregulated religious practices contribute to violence, abuse, abandonment, and severe human rights violations against vulnerable children. The article also analyses the gaps between existing legal protections and weak enforcement mechanisms that allow these harmful practices to persist.

Abandoned Twice: How the World Is Failing the Yazidis – Again

More than 11 years after ISIS launched a genocide against the Yazidi people of northern Iraq, the survivors are still waiting. Thousands remain missing. Hundreds of thousands remain displaced. Their homeland lies largely in ruins. And the international mechanisms built to deliver justice, protection, and reconstruction are being dismantled one by one, not because the work is done, but because the world has moved on. The Yazidis have not failed to recover; they have been failed.

Targeting Schools as a Method of Warfare

This article examines the targeting and militarisation of schools during armed conflict and the protections granted to educational facilities under International Humanitarian Law. It highlights how attacks on schools violate the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, while exposing children to death, trauma, displacement, and loss of education. The piece argues that stronger accountability is urgently needed to ensure schools remain protected civilian spaces during war.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as a Weapon of War

Across Africa’s conflict zones, sexual violence is not merely a by-product of war but a deliberate strategy used to terrorise, control, and destroy communities. From Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, women and girls are systematically targeted, while international law has struggled to translate recognition of these crimes into meaningful accountability. This article examines how sexual violence has been weaponised in conflict, the evolution of its recognition in international law, and the persistent barriers that continue to deny survivors justice.

Caught in the Crossfire: Iran’s Minorities in Times of War

On June 25, 2025, the execution of Kurdish porter Edris Ali exposed a deeper pattern at the heart of Iran’s current crisis. As war with Israel and the United States escalates, longstanding structures of marginalisation are not paused but intensified, with ethnic and religious minorities facing most of the harm, seen both as internal threats and as groups that can be easily sacrificed.

Balochistan: 78 Years of Occupation, Human Rights Abuses and the Failure of International Accountability

This press release highlights exhibitions at the United Nations drawing attention to human rights violations faced by Sindhi and Baloch communities in Pakistan. It underscores issues such as enforced disappearances, repression of journalists, and threats to cultural identity. The events also amplified calls for self-determination and greater international action to protect these communities.

Sindhi and Baloch Communities Reinvidicate Human Rights Violations and Self-Determination Rights

Discussion About Pakistan’s Trade Status and Human Rights Abuses

This press release highlights calls at the UN Human Rights Council to reconsider Pakistan’s GSP+ trade status due to ongoing human rights violations. Speakers raised concerns over misuse of blasphemy laws, political repression, and restrictions on media freedom. The discussion emphasised that trade privileges should be conditional on measurable improvements in human rights and accountability.

Systematic Human Rights Crisis in Sindh and Balochistan

This press release highlights systemic human rights violations against Sindhi and Baloch communities in Pakistan, including forced conversions, economic marginalisation, and enforced disappearances. It underscores patterns of structural discrimination and political repression affecting religious and indigenous minorities. Speakers called for international accountability and stronger protection of minority rights and self-determination.

Iraq is Losing its Fiercest Female Voices

This article examines how Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities, especially Kurds, Baluchis, and Arabs, face intensified repression during times of war and political crisis. It highlights patterns of executions, arbitrary arrests, torture, and structural discrimination that deepen during conflict. The piece argues that external war has served as a pretext for expanding long-standing state violence against minority communities.

Silencing Faith in Algeria: Violence And Oppression Against Religious Communities

This article examines the increasing restrictions and persecution faced by religious minorities in Algeria, particularly Ahmadi Muslims and Kabylian Protestants. It highlights arbitrary prosecutions, church closures, surveillance, and legal barriers that prevent minority communities from freely practising their faith. The piece argues that Algeria’s current legal framework and enforcement practices fall short of its obligations under international human rights law.

European Parliament Hearing Addresses Bangladesh’s Democratic Transition and Rohingya Accountability

This press release highlights a European Parliament hearing on Bangladesh’s recent elections and ongoing efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against the Rohingya. While the elections signal a potential democratic shift, concerns remain around human rights violations, institutional reforms, and minority protections. The discussion also stressed the need for sustained international engagement on Rohingya justice and refugee protection.

European Parliament Addresses Forced Recruitment of Foreign Nationals in Russia’s War of Aggression in Ukraine

This press release highlights a European Parliament hearing on the forced recruitment of third-country nationals into Russia’s war against Ukraine. It points to growing evidence of trafficking, coercion, and deception targeting vulnerable migrants through false job offers and exploitative recruitment networks. The hearing called for stronger international cooperation, victim protection, and accountability for those responsible.

Land Without People: The Impact of Green Colonialism on the Rights of Indigenous Communities in Africa

This article examines how “green colonialism” in Africa—through conservation projects, carbon markets, and renewable energy initiatives—has led to the displacement and marginalisation of Indigenous communities. Despite contributing minimally to climate change, Indigenous peoples face land dispossession, forced evictions, and loss of cultural identity as governments and external actors prioritise environmental and economic interests. The piece argues that existing legal frameworks fail to adequately protect Indigenous rights, allowing climate solutions to reproduce historical patterns of exploitation and inequality.

Afghanistan and Pakistan on the Brink: How the TTP Insurgency Escalated into Open War

This article examines the escalation of tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan into what Pakistani officials described as an “open war” in February 2026. It explores the role of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), cross-border military operations, and competing claims of self-defence under international law, while also highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by displacement, food insecurity, and restrictions on refugees along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

Citizenship as a Weapon for Repression: Algeria’s Nationality Law and the Suppression of Dissent

State Business: Israel’s Misappropriation of Land Through Settler Violence

This article examines how settler violence in the occupied West Bank functions as a tool of dispossession and territorial consolidation. It argues that repeated attacks, lack of accountability, and state-backed infrastructure expansion are creating coercive conditions that force Palestinians from their land. The piece highlights how violence and governance together sustain ongoing displacement and settlement growth.