Articles
- Alejandra Martínez Otero-Saavedra
- 10 December 2025
- Alejandra Martínez Otero-Saavedra
- 10 December 2025
- Europe
- Balkans War, History, International Humanitarian Law
The breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s reactivated nationalist tensions and led to the war in Bosnia. During the siege of Sarajevo, reports emerged of so-called “human safaris,” in which foreign individuals allegedly paid to shoot at civilians from the surrounding hills. Italian writer Ezio Gavazzeni brought these allegations to justice, and testimonies and documents from the Hague Tribunal have reinforced calls to investigate the case. In 2025, the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a formal investigation into possible intentional homicides linked to these events.
- Jacob Lindelöf
- 8 December 2025
- GHRD Team
- 5 December 2025
- Bianca Mihaela Cojocaru
- 4 December 2025
- Child Poverty, Children's Rights, Right to Dignity
As the European Union prepares a new Anti-Poverty Strategy, child poverty remains one of the most pressing and persistent challenges facing the Union. Affecting nearly one in four children, poverty undermines not only material well-being but also children’s fundamental right to dignity. In this interview, Dutch Member of Parliament Esmah Lahlah reflects on the long-term consequences of child poverty and explores how law and policy at national and EU level can break entrenched cycles of disadvantage.
- Morgane Daty
- 3 December 2025
- Kuwait, Middle East
- Statelessness
The Bidoon population of Kuwait live in a system that denies them their basic rights while framing them as “illegal” in their own homeland. Deprived of citizenship, essential services, and political participation they face barriers across education, healthcare, and employment. This article therefore examines how state policies have engineered a humanitarian crisis that continues to shape every aspect of Bidoon life.
- GHRD Team
- 2 December 2025
- Africa, Sudan
- Genocide Prevention, Humanitarian Crises
At this ASP side event in The Hague, panellists examined the devastating human rights situation in Sudan, including mass displacement, targeted violence against women and girls, and the challenges of documenting atrocities amid repression and internet shutdowns. The discussion emphasised the need for coordinated accountability efforts, action against complicit external actors, and stronger support for Sudanese civil society.
- GHRD Team
- 2 December 2025
- Africa, Sudan
- Genocide Prevention, Humanitarian Crises
During the ICC Assembly of States Parties, Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) convened a panel of leading legal and human rights experts to assess the escalating atrocities in Sudan and the growing accountability gap. Speakers examined the ICC’s limited jurisdiction, the role of external actors, the collapse of humanitarian access and the urgent need for coordinated international action to prevent further mass violence.
- Elisabedi Koridze
- 29 November 2025
- Middle East, Palestine
- Genocide, Humanitarian Aid, War Crimes
The conflict that escalated after the attack in Israel on October 7th, 2023, has brought intolerable suffering to Gaza for two years now. Even with the ceasefire agreement in October 2025, the humanitarian crisis is still catastrophic.
- Giulia Villa
- 26 November 2025
- Africa, Sudan
- Ethnic Instrumentalisation, Humanitarian Crisis, Minority Rights
In the wake of recent violence in Sudan, it is crucial to examine the historical and political roots of the marginalisation of non-Arab communities, highlighting how current conflicts are deeply linked to the country’s colonial past and ongoing internal political fractures.
- Alejandra Martínez Otero-Saavedra
- 25 November 2025
- World
- Female Leadership, Gender Equality, Women's Rights
The persistence of violence against women remains a global concern, yet it represents only one dimension of a broader reality. Across historical and contemporary contexts, women have developed complex emotional and cognitive competencies that have mediated crises and contributed to social resilience in measurable ways. Understanding these capacities as empirically grounded forms of leadership, rather than as culturally assigned roles or innate attributes, allows for a more accurate assessment of women’s contributions to social stability and collective recovery.
- Elisabedi Koridze
- 24 November 2025
- Israel, Middle East, Palestine
- Armed Conflict, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Rights
The conflict between Israel and Palestine, rooted in over a century of historical and ideological disputes, has evolved with technological influences, particularly the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in military operations. Recent uses of AI, such as the AI Decision Support Systems (AI-DDS) by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip, have enhanced targeting and surveillance capabilities. However, these developments raise significant legal and ethical concerns related to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which aims to protect those not participating in hostilities. This article explores whether the employment of AI in warfare aligns with IHL principles, focusing on its implications within the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, despite Israel not having ratified crucial IHL protocols.
- Julia Crubellate
- 23 November 2025
- Africa
- Civil Society Crackdown, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights
This article examines Tunisia’s escalating crackdown on civil society, where NGOs and human rights defenders face arbitrary detention, financial restrictions, and legal harassment. It highlights a broader decline in democratic freedoms and increasing state control under the pretext of national security. The situation raises serious concerns about shrinking civic space and violations of fundamental rights.
- Alejandra Martínez Otero-Saavedra
- 19 November 2025
- Middle East, Palestine
- International Humanitarian Law, Security Council
In recent months, international diplomacy around Gaza has intensified, yet conditions on the ground continue to deteriorate. While world leaders announced new political initiatives, displacement and humanitarian collapse have persisted across the Strip. The contrast between renewed diplomatic efforts and the reality faced by civilians has only deepened, underscoring the fragility of current negotiations and the failure of existing mechanisms to halt the violence.
- Filippo Turetta
- 18 November 2025
- Europe
- Human Rights Law, Migration
This article argues that ECtHR migration jurisprudence normalises sovereign border control, erases colonial-racial histories, constructs restrictive hierarchies of vulnerability, and thereby legitimises structural violence, urging decolonial, justice-oriented alternatives.
- Adrián Martín Sánchez
- 18 November 2025
- Europe
- European Union (EU)
From initial scepticism to emerging momentum, the EU Enlargement Forum demonstrated the European Commission’s renewed political determination and institutional drive to advance enlargement. Upholding democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law remains central for candidate countries, as the EU asserts greater readiness and credibility amid growing authoritarian challenges.
- Ana Dilley
- 16 November 2025
- Europe
- ECtHR, Gender Based Violence, Human Rights
The article “One Standard for Us, Another for Them: Assessing the ECtHR’s Approach to Article 3 Violations in the Context of Asylum and Gender-Based Violence” examines how the European Court of Human Rights interprets protections against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights in asylum cases involving gender-based violence. It argues that the Court’s jurisprudence sometimes reflects inconsistencies in evaluating the risks faced by asylum seekers, particularly women fleeing gender-based harm. The analysis highlights concerns that differing evidentiary standards and judicial reasoning can lead to unequal protection for vulnerable applicants, raising broader questions about fairness, consistency, and the effective safeguarding of human rights within Europe’s asylum framework.
- Roberta Moisuc
- 14 November 2025
- Asia, China
- Freedom of Expression, Human Rights Defenders, Military Accountability
This article reports on an acid attack against a KontraS activist in Indonesia after he criticised the military’s growing role in civilian life. The case raises serious concerns about intimidation of human rights defenders, shrinking civic space, and the need for an independent investigation into alleged military involvement.
- Dominik Miklosi
- 14 November 2025
- Asia, Japan
- Fukushima, Human Rights
The article at hand analyses the long-term human rights implications of the nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture, caused by the natural disasters that struck Japan on March 11th, 2011.
- Bianca Mihaela Cojocaru
- 12 November 2025
- Europe
- European Parliament, European Union (EU), Human Rights
At a time when digitalisation is reshaping everyday life across Europe, the “Inclusive Communication for All” event at the European Parliament highlighted the growing risks of digital exclusion and the urgent need for communication policies that protect citizen choice. Bringing together MEPs, civil society, and industry representatives, the discussion underscored that equal access to information is not only a policy concern but a matter of fundamental rights.
- Bianca Mihaela Cojocaru
- 11 November 2025
- Europe, Sudan
- European Parliament, European Union (EU), Sudan Crises
Against the backdrop of one of the world’s fastest-escalating humanitarian crises, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and Subcommittee on Development convened a joint hearing to assess Sudan’s deteriorating human rights situation and the European Union’s strategic response. Bringing together EU officials, UN representatives, and civil society experts, the session underscored the scale of atrocities committed since the outbreak of conflict in 2023 and highlighted the urgent need for a coordinated, well-resourced, and rights-centred EU approach.
