Author: Forouzan Hosseini Moghaddam, MA March 24, 2026 Content Warning: Before you continue reading, please be aware that this report discusses femicide, child marriage, and gender-based violence, which may be distressing. Illustration by Louiza Karageorgiou. © 2023 Louiza Karageorgiou . All rights reserved. Background The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran marked a major shift in the country’s legal system, particularly regarding women’s rights. One of the most significant chan

Author: Sheetal Frank March 19, 2026 HRRC condemns violence against women and recognises it as a serious human rights violation that threatens women’s safety and quality of life. We call for coordinated action between British authorities and the government to strengthen protections and ensure justice for victims. Protest to end violence against women [Image credit: Getty Images – BBC News ] Violence against women and girls , perpetuated mostly by men, can include sexual viole

Author: Peter Clarkin, MA March 19, 2026 HRRC calls on the Indonesian authorities to investigate the unprovoked acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus. Protection for those fighting for human rights in the country should be of utmost importance, and pressure should be put on the Indonesian government to implement and enforce laws that ensure a safe environment for activists in the country. Andrie Yunus is the external affairs coordinator at KontraS, a leading Indon

Author: Mahika Datta March 18, 2026 Protesters gather in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, during the July 2022 demonstrations against constitutional changes and the ensuing government crackdown [Image credit: Eurasianet ] Introduction In Uzbekistan, a nation at the heart of Central Asia, true freedom remains a fragile promise. Despite government rhetoric about reform and modernization, citizens who peacefully express their beliefs continue to face the harsh reality of arbitrary detenti

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan March 17, 2026 HRRC condemns the detention of peaceful International Women’s Day protesters and journalists in Islamabad, noting that the incident raises serious concerns about the protection of fundamental rights – especially freedom of assembly – in Pakistan. Police personnel dressed in plain clothes detain activists of the women's rights group Aurat March, upon their arrival ahead of a rally on International Women's Day in Islamabad on March 8, 2

Author: Vera Rousseff March 17, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the corrupt and repressive practices of Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso. We call on the leaders of the Republic of the Congo to implement reforms to protect political freedoms and create employment opportunities for the country’s population, especially its youth. Denis Sassou Nguesso, the current president of the Republic of the Congo, speaks in Brazzaville after casting his vote during the presidential elec

Author: Gabrielle Meyers, MPP March 17, 2026 [Image Source: Brigada PDT ] At first blush, short-term rentals (STRs) such as Airbnb seem like an important part of the Puerto Rican economy. They create jobs and generate tourist revenue. In 2022, roughly 40 percent of all visitors to Puerto Rico stayed in an STR. STR visitors tend to stay longer ( 5.7 days on average) than visitors who stay in hotels ( 2.7 days ). According to one study, if every STR in Puerto Rico were booked

Author: Sheetal Frank March 13, 2026 HRRC emphasises that the right to peaceful protest is a crucial democratic freedom. While preventing public disorder and disruptions is important, any restrictions on demonstrations must be carefully executed and remain proportionate without undermining an individual’s ability to express dissent. Thousands of people march to the US Embassy in London to call for an end to the conflict in Iran [Image credit: Tolga Akmen/EPA-The Guardian ] Th

Author: Peter Clarkin, MA March 12, 2026 HRRC calls for the early release of Belarusian human rights defender Nasta Loika and all of Belarus’s female political prisoners. These prisoners are forced to live in horrific conditions while being subjected to ill treatment at the hands of the authorities. Condemnation towards the government of Belarus must come from all areas, and continue until these human rights defenders are free. Former prisoners from a penal colony in Homel in

Author: Charity Ndanu Mbalu March 12, 2026 A man from the slum of Korogocho, Kenya hefts his last bag of trash for the day in the hopes of selling the mostly rubber scraps for $0.50 USD. [Image credit: Michael Albert , 2012 ] What is Electronic Waste? Electronic waste (E-waste) is a growing concern in the world. Global e-waste rose from 53.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 62 million in 2022, with the UN predicting it will reach 82 million tonnes by 2030. Out of this, 5.1 milli

Author: Vera Rousseff March 11, 2026 HRRC demands that Israel immediately stop all use of artillery-fired white phosphorus munitions in populated residential areas. The deployment of these weapons risks indiscriminately harming civilians, thereby violating international law. We also call on states that provide Israel with weapons to stop supplying the country with white phosphorus munitions. Israel’s military continues to pound southern Lebanon as Hezbollah reports attacks on

Author: Elizabeth Lyons March 11, 2026 Mahamat Idriss Déby is sworn in as Chad's transitional president in N'Djamena on October 10, 2022. [Image credit: Denis Sassou Gueipeur, AFP ] Chad’s political system has long been concentrated in the hands of the military, with few meaningful checks on the use of force or avenues for civilians to hold leaders accountable. Political transitions have been repeatedly resolved through coercion rather than constitutional processes, entrench

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan March 10, 2026 HRRC strongly condemns the targeting of civilian water infrastructure by Iran and the United States, and warns that such attacks violate fundamental humanitarian principles and place vulnerable populations at serious risk. We call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of essential services, particularly water systems critical for civilian survival. Two women from the Iranian Red Crescent So

Author: Irem Cakmak, LLM March 10, 2026 Summary Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has sparked controversy for enabling the rapid creation of nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images of women, including LGBTQ+ individuals and sometimes minors. These highly realistic images can be generated within seconds and spread widely online, contributing to a new form of digital sexual abuse. This form of AI-enabled violence might result in psychological distress, reputation damage, and the sil

Author: Sheetal Frank, MA March 9, 2026 HRRC acknowledges the efforts of the UK government to tighten its borders for security and to prevent illegal entry into the country. However, HRRC emphasises that any policy involving temporary refugee protection must adhere to the principle of non-refoulement under the 1951 Refugee Convention, and that human rights should be granted and respected for refugees without compromising long-term stability, family life, and integration. Migr