(FPIF) – June 26th marks the UN Day in Support of Victims of Torture. This day was declared in 1997 and is celebrated every year to honor the struggles of torture survivors. In the U.S., it’s estimated that there are half-a-million torture survivors who’ve fled…
(Reprieve) – Reprieve and Privacy International have launched legal action today after the government refused to reveal the subject matter or contents of a secret Prime Ministerial order governing the activities of the British security services. It was revealed last year…
(Reprieve) – A senior government minister in the House of Lords has refused to condemn President Trump for his views on torture. The comments directly contradict a statement by a Foreign Office minister, just yesterday, that the UK opposes torture in…
(HRW) – The Associated Press reported today that US forces were involved in the interrogation of detainees held in secret prisons in Yemen where torture is widespread. The centers are run by United Arab Emirati (UAE) and UAE-backed Yemeni forces. The…
(Tasnim) – Hundreds of Yemeni people have disappeared into a secret network of prisons in southern Yemen where abuse is routine and torture extreme – including the “grill,” in which the victim is tied to a spit like a roast…
Saudi Arabia (HRW) – UN Envoy Criticizes Abuses Following Visit A United Nations official who recently visited Saudi Arabia has criticized the country’s use of its terrorism tribunal and counterterrorism law to unjustly prosecute human rights defenders, writers, and peaceful critics,…
(HRW) – Iraqi government-allied troops arbitrarily detained at least 100 men in late April 2017, in some cases torturing them during interrogations, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch interviewed three men from al-Hadar, a village 90 kilometers southwest of…
Turkey (OpenDemocracy) – As Europe is distancing itself from Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian regime, the UK is getting closer. Is it to sell them even more weapons? It is now ten months since Turkish government declared a state of emergency in response…
Germany (HRW) – Pact Could Tie Berlin’s Agents to Torture, Disappearances The German parliament should reject a proposed security agreement with the Egyptian Interior Ministry, Human Rights Watch said today. The agreement, which is scheduled for a vote on April 28,…
Ethiopia (GV) – The Ethiopian government’s Human Rights Commission has declared that 669 people were killed during the uprising of 2016, a figure that is significantly lower than other numbers reported by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The unveiling of the report…
Bahrain (Tasnim) – Seven human rights organizations released a report on the dire situation of human rights in Bahrain, including the torture of political prisoners, calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to take immediate action to stop the…
Myanmar (HRW) – Human Rights Council Orders International Fact-Finding Mission The United Nations Human Rights Council on March 24, 2017, took a key step toward preventing future abuses and bringing justice for victims in Burma by adopting a strong resolution condemning…
Swaziland (NI) – Where is the support for Zonke Dlamini, asks his co-accused, Bheki Dlamini, who was released without charge. Activist Zonke Dlamini was sentenced to 15 years in prison three years ago, on 28 February 28 2014, for allegedly petrol…
Crimea (OpenDemocracy) – Three years on from Crimea’s annexation by Russia, brutal torture is being used to scare the peninsula into silence and submission. Three years on since the Russian authorities took control of Crimea, Russian security forces’ actions on the…
Bahrain (Sputnik) – Critics have slammed Bahrain’s decision to restore arrest and investigatory powers to an intelligence agency found guilty of torturing anti-government protestors, describing the move as “another nail in the coffin” for the country’s Western-backed reform process. Bahrain’s National…