Human Rights

Uighur detainees at a detention facility in Kashgar take vocational classes. All the detainees in this class admitted to having been "infected with extremist thoughts."

World News

Reporter's Notebook: Uighurs Held For 'Extremist Thoughts' They Didn't Know They Had

4:39pm May 07, 2019

by Rob Schmitz

"I've learned what I should and what I shouldn't do," a detainee tells NPR during a Chinese government-led media tour in Xinjiang. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are held in internment camps.

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An Egyptian soldier and a policeman stand guard at a Cairo polling station on Monday, the third day of a referendum on constitutional amendments.

World News

Egypt Approves Constitutional Changes That Could Keep Sissi In Office Until 2030

5:23pm April 23, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

The amendments, which were approved by nearly 90% of voters, further entrench the power of the military and extend the power of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Saudi Arabian women's rights activist Loujain Alhathloul appeared in court with several other women for the first time since her arrest and detention in May 2018.

World News

Saudi Women's Rights Activists Appear In Riyadh Court

4:50pm March 13, 2019

by Dalia Mortada

Defying international calls for the activists' release, a Saudi Arabian court began legal proceedings on Wednesday for Loujain Alhathloul and several other women.

Cindy and Fred Warmbier, parents of Otto Warmbier, released a statement saying, "No excuses or lavish praise can change" the fact that they hold North Korean leader Kim Jong Un responsible for their son's death. The Warmbiers are seen here at the U.N., wh

Otto Warmbier's Parents Dispute Trump's Seeming Absolution Of Kim Jong Un

5:47pm March 01, 2019

by Bill Chappell

"Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto," the Warmbiers wrote. Trump tweeted on Friday that he holds North Korea responsible, but he made no mention of Kim.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, shown here in January in Cairo, could stay in office until 2034 if constitutional amendments approved by parliament pass a popular referendum.

World News

With Constitution Changes, Egypt's President Could Stay In Power Until 2034

12:13pm February 14, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

The parliament overwhelmingly approved the changes, which require a referendum to enter into force. Human rights groups are expressing alarm, saying they "sanction lifelong presidency."

A woman spreads incense over the remains of 172 unidentified people who were discovered buried at what was once a Guatemalan military camp during the civil war in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, a day before their formal burial at the same site where they w

World News

Opinion: Guatemala Must Not Grant Amnesty To War Criminals

9:16pm February 11, 2019

by Jo-Marie Burt

If a new bill passes, it would free dozens of ex-military officials either awaiting trial or already convicted of crimes against humanity, undoing years of progress, expert Jo-Marie Burt writes.

Activists hold a sign showing detained Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang at a rally outside the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong on Dec. 26, 2018, as Wang's trial was set to begin in China.

World News

Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced To More Than 4 Years In Prison

3:21pm January 28, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Wang Quanzhang was arrested in 2015 along with hundreds of other legal activists. Human rights groups say the sentence makes a mockery of the rule of law.

In this image made from video, Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun sat barricaded in a hotel room at an international airport in Bangkok. Alqunun asked for asylum in Australia, and Thai officials said they won't deport her for now.

Saudi Woman Seeks Asylum, Fears Family Will Kill Her, OK To Stay In Thailand For Now

9:36pm January 07, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun's real-time Twitter pleas for help went viral as she begged for refugee status. Thai officials have let her talk to U.N. refugee officials.

South Korean journalist and former North Korean defector Kim Myong Song speaks at a cafe in Seoul. The government's decision to ban him from covering an inter-Korean meeting raised concerns about press freedom.

World News

For A North Korean Defector Turned Journalist, Warming Ties Are Cause For Worry

4:58am January 02, 2019

by Anthony Kuhn

South Korea barred Kim Myong Song, a reporter for the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, from covering a meeting with North Korean officials. He believes they were concerned his presence could derail the talks.

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Russian human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva speaks at a news conference in Moscow in 2012. She died Sunday at the age of 91.

World News

Russians Pay Last Respects To Human Rights Defender Lyudmila Alexeyeva

2:53pm December 11, 2018

by Lucian Kim

Alexeyeva, who died Saturday, was a longtime Kremlin critic who lived in exile for 16 years during the Soviet era. President Vladimir Putin tried to co-opt her legacy during her lifetime.