PUBLICATIONS

Author: Jim Hamilton October 7, 2026 A protester condemning the regime in Iran [Image credit: Taymaz Valley/Flickr] Introduction The conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States (U.S.), and its allies has intensified and expanded Iran’s longstanding system of judicial repression. Since the conflict began in late February 2026, thousands of Iranians have been arrested on politically motivated charges. Judicial proceedings have accelerated, due process prote

Author: Adia May October 6, 2026 Russian textbooks delivered by the occupying authorities to a school in Borova, in Ukraine's Kharkivska region. [Image credit: Human Rights Watch] Introduction When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia inherited more than just a fractured state. It had to find an answer to the unresolved question of national identity: what narrative would explain who Russians were and what their state had done. Malinova (2018) coined this as a search fo

Author: Khalil Dabdoub September 30, 2026 [Image credit: Lucas Metz/Unsplash] Introduction As humans, we all struggle with our mental health at some point in our lives whether we reach the clinical threshold for a diagnosis or not. Experiencing a mental health challenge is increasingly common. 1 in 7 individuals globally live with a mental health disorder (WHO, 2023). Mental health disorders have a significant impact on an individual’s daily functioning and overall well-being

Author: Nadia Nasri September 29, 2026 [Image credit: Appimage/Wikimedia Commons] Women in Iraq have endured a long battle in their fight for equality. While early progress was made in 1959 to secure equal rights and protection under the law, Iraqi women now face setbacks and threats to the very rights they fought so hard to achieve. Currently, Iraq ranks 158 for women’s wellbeing out of the 181 countries on the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) index

Author: Mia Baxley September 24, 2026 [Content warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual violence and physical abuse.] The bridge over the River Drina in Višegrad, Bosnia-Herzegovina. During the 1992 genocide campaign in Višegrad, the bridge had been used to throw bodies into the river. [Image credit: Monique Snijder/Unsplash] Introduction In 2013, conflict studies specialist Lee Ann Fujii created the term “extra-lethal violence,” which she defined as “physical ac

Author: Eirini Triantafyllidou September 23, 2026 [Image source: C.Suthorn/cc-by-sa-4.0/commons.wikimedia.org] Introduction Online child sexual abuse and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are serious and growing problems. According to figures cited by the European Commission itself, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 21 million related reports in 2020, with more than 1 million concerning EU Member States, rising to nearly 30 million in

Author: Kaitlyn V. Andres, MS, MPH September 22, 2026 An unhoused individual looks for their belongings as the City of Knoxville bulldozer approaches to start an encampment sweep underneath the I-40 viaduct in Knoxville, TN. [Image credit: Shawn Griffith] Introduction Housing insecurity is on the rise in the United States. The 2025 Point-In-Time (PIT) count estimated about 745,000 homeless individuals, with about 266,000 of them unsheltered. These figures have increased subst

Author: Sheikh Sibghat Ullah September 17, 2026 The 2024 Bangladesh protest movement at Central Shaheed Minar. [Image creidt: Nahidhasan027/Wikimedia Commons] I. The Internet as Human Rights Infrastructure Internet access is not generally recognized as a standalone human right. It is, however, a major instrument for the enjoyment of freedom of expression and other such rights. Nowadays, digital connectivity is essential for daily life, such as communication, education, employ

Author: Ryan Kemp, JD September 16, 2026 [Image credit: Jim Pennucci/Flickr] Introduction The City of Fontana in the state of California enacted two ordinances that directly affected street vendors in the city. These new ordinances disproportionately affected individuals in the immigrant and low-income street vendor communities. The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (the coalition) brought suit against the City of Fontana and 4LEAF Inc., arguing that these ordinances vio

September 15, 2026 Podcast Host: Nick Van Zandt, Founder and Executive Director, Unruled Masses Podcast Guest: Deanna Wilken, Founder and President, Human Rights Research Center In observance of International Day of Democracy, Human Rights Research Center and Unruled Masses team up for a special podcast episode unpacking global democratic backsliding, systemic human rights rollbacks, and the fight to take democracy back. [Image credit: Beth Fitzpatrick via Pexels] Summary Glo