Author: Michael Masrie, MA November 5, 2025 Paul Biya [Image credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images] Introduction When Paul Biya ruled Cameroon as Prime Minister in 1975 and ascended to the presidency in 1982, the world was entrenched in Cold War tensions, the Berlin Wall divided East from West, and microcomputers were nascent. Today—50 years later—Biya leads among Africa’s longest-serving heads of state, followed by Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (45 years), Ir

Author: Mathilde Guenin, MA November 4, 2025 View the interactive visual report here  on Tableau. Each year, Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Press Freedom Index ranks 180 countries and assigns them a score based on the level of freedom available to journalists and media to report. The index, which uses a scale from 0 to 100 to analyze countries’ relative press freedom, categorizes countries that rank between 0–40 indicates as in a very serious situation; 40–55 as difficult;

Author: Vera Rousseff November 4, 2025 HRRC condemns the attacks carried out by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) and urges the group to end the fuel blockade. We further call on the West African regional community to support Mali in its efforts to suppress JNIM and reestablish good governance in the country. People gather at a gas station due to fuel shortages in Bamako, Mali, on October 7, 2025 [ Source: Idriss Sangare/Reuters ] On Tuesday, October 28, the U.S.

November 3, 2025 Explore Our Latest Publications Internet Shutdown: How Governments Weaponize Connectivity by Ivan Francis, MS Custom, Courts, and Colonialism: The Installation of Chief Mvuthu and Gender Equality in Zimbabwe’s Traditional Leadership by Bellinda Chinowawa, LLM Digital Bans, Surveillance and Human Rights in African Democracies by Damilola Bello HRRC News Briefs Myanmar Military Continues Atrocities Against Civilians and Religious Communities by Sibusiso Gug

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan November 3, 2025 HRRC commends the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s landmark decision for recognising psychological abuse as cruelty, marking a vital stride toward gender-sensitive justice. This ruling further reinforces women’s constitutional right to dignity, equality and autonomy within marriage. Justice Ayesha A. Malik [Image source: DuckDuckGo image search] In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled  that cruelty within marriage

Author: Erina Bazán López October 31, 2025 HRRC strongly condemns the atrocities committed against civilians by the RSF in el-Fasher, Sudan. The mass killings of civilians and aid providers and attacks on civilian infrastructure constitute a breach of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Principles.  HRRC joins humanitarian organisations in calling for international intervention to end the ongoing atrocities in Sudan and deploy crucial humanitarian as

Author: Peter Clarkin, MA October 31, 2025 HRRC strongly condemns France’s treatment of migrant children within its borders. These children are often left without food or drink and are left to live on the streets or in inadequate camps. France’s inability to assess an individual’s age is exacerbating the situation for many, and we urge France to more rigorously enforce the “presumption of minority” directive in a way that would help to protect many children. Children in migra

Author: Damilola Bello October 30, 2025 [Image credit: Photo-Love / ECFR] Introduction The purpose of this paper is to examine how digital repression by selected African democracies across East, West, North, and South Africa violates the human rights of the African populace. The study uses ideology and ideological state apparatuses as its framework. The scope has been narrowed down to how digital repression in Africa is often weaponized for unlawful control. In Africa, digita

Author: Bellinda Chinowawa October 29, 2025 Princess Silibaziso Mlotshwa was formally installed as Chief Mvuthu on August 15, 2025. Introduction On August 15, Princess Silibaziso Mlotshwa was installed as the substantive Chief Mvuthu in Hwange District, the first woman to hold that office in Matabeleland North and one of only a handful nationwide. This is a landmark development that provides an opportunity to critique the relationship between colonialism and the evolution of

Author: Ivan Francis, MS   October 28, 2025 View the interactive visual report here on Tableau. What is an Internet Shutdown? An internet shutdown is a deliberate interruption of internet-based communications that prevents a certain demographic, geographic area, or access type from using them. Blocking access to the global internet is frequently an attempt by the state to regulate the flow of information inside a territory. Internet shutdowns are not the same as content rest

Author: Vera Rousseff October 28, 2025 HRRC strongly advocates for the protection of all children against child labor, particularly when the work is hazardous or exploitative. We urge the international community to support leaders and activists in South Sudan in their efforts to combat child labor. Children walk to the Malaika Primary School in Juba, South Sudan. “Education remains the strongest protective factor,” Save the Children said [Image credit: Samir Bol/Reuters] A ne

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan October 27, 2025 HRRC strongly condemns the Tanzanian authorities’ repression and deliberate erosion of democratic freedoms in the lead-up to the 2025 elections. These actions blatantly violate international human rights obligations and undermine the principles of free expression, political participation and justice. Tanzanian opposition party Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu has demanded electoral reforms to change a process he says favors the ruling C

Author: Sibusiso Gugushe October 27, 2025 HRRC condemns the recent airstrike carried out by Myanmar’s military junta on innocent civilians during   Vesak/Thadingyut . The airstrike forms part of the war crimes and human rights violations, including genocide and ethnic cleansing, that have taken place in the country since the military coup in February 2021.  [Image credit: Kaung San/Monywa] At least 32 people, including several children, lost their lives and more than 50 were

October 27, 2025 Explore Our Latest Publications SIDS on the Frontline of Climate Justice  by Irem Cakmak, LLM The Crossroads of Justice: Our Infrastructural History, Environmental Racism, and the Climate Fight  by Olivia Weninger How Shrinking Refugee Funding Threatens Human Rights and Social Cohesion in the East and Horn of Africa  by Ronald Nsubuga, MS HRRC News Briefs Concerns Mount Over Human Rights Amid Punjab’s Crackdown on TLP Protests  by Aamnah Fatima Khan French Ba

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc October 24, 2025 HRRC joins global and Turkish press freedom organizations’ calls for an officia l investigation into possible political motivations behind the murder of journalist Hakan Tosun. We express extreme concern for the safety of independent journalists working in Turkey amid increasing physical, digital and legal threats.   Hakan Tosun. [Source: Bianet.org ] The murder of an environmental journalist and activist in Istanbul, Turkey ha