Torture

Will Biden keep his promise to shut down Guantanamo?

Days before he takes office, rights organisations highlight US human rights transgressions and international law violations at the military detention centre.

Turkey court gives cult head Adnan Oktar over 1,000 years in jail

Court in Istanbul sentences Oktar to prison for 1,075 years over charges of founding a criminal organisation and sexual abuse.

Syrian families forced to pay bribes to speak with detained relatives

It constitutes a systematic strategy whereby forced disappearances are used to intimidate society and fund the regime, report says.

Rights groups urge the UAE to close secret prisons in Yemen

The Emirates-funded black sites are where human rights violations including torture and beatings have been committed, according to a Geneva-based rights group.

Survivors of Syrian prisons share stories of death, horror and torture

Three prisoners relate similar tales of madness, inhumanity and cruelty beyond parallel taking place in the Syrian regime’s notorious prisons.

Syrian regime tortured 98 people despite 2018 amnesty decree

Designed to grant security guarantees to individuals, reconciliation agreements have routinely failed to prevent the arrest, harassment, and detention of reconciled Syrians across the country.

Amnesty slams French claims of being champion of free-speech

While the right to express views that may be perceived as offending religious beliefs is strenuously defended, Muslims’ freedoms of expression and religion usually receive scant attention in France, says Amnesty International.

UK government pushes bill to ‘decriminalise torture’ by troops overseas

The Overseas Operation Bill would introduce stronger legal protections for UK soldiers serving abroad. But critics believe it will make overseas operations worse for victims of war crimes and for the UK’s standing in the world.

After death by torture and call for protest, should Egypt brace for unrest?

Egyptians took to the streets following the death in police custody of Islam Al Ostraly. The rare display of discontent came as exiled whistleblower Mohamed Ali called for new protests on September 20.

The UK can’t keep track of how much it paid to Iraqis its soldiers abused

Thousands of Iraqis have been given payouts after suffering at the hands of British soldiers but the British Ministry of Defence says it cannot disclose how much it has paid out since 2017 because it requires too much work.

Years later, families of Assad regime prisoners still yearn for closure

Anguished relatives are poring over photos of torture victims from Syrian prisons, posted online by activists after the US imposed heavy new sanctions on the Syrian regime last month.

Pakistani police arrest couple for 'beating' child employee to death

Theoretically, it is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 15, but it remains common practice in Pakistan, where a large number of children are employed as undocumented domestic workers.