Middle East

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Iranian authorities’ execution of two men in connection with widespread antigovernment protests is a gross miscarriage of justice and a dangerous escalation, Human Rights Watch said today. According to human rights groups, revolutionary courts of first instance have issued at least 11 other protest-related death sentences and are expected […]

Children

UN: 11,000 Boys and Girls have been Killed or Wounded in the Yemeni War that the US backed

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – UN News reports that 11,000 boys and girls are estimated to have been killed or wounded by direct violence in the Yemen War that has been going on since the Saudi air assault of spring 2015. The figure was released by Catherine Russell, the head of the UN children’s fund, […]

Arab World

Climate Action in Middle East is Doomed to fail without Reform and Peace

Sustainability Times

By Sustainabiity Times | – ( Sustainability Times) – The United Nations COP27 conference has now drawn to a close, with talks culminating in a historic agreement to establish a climate “loss and damage” fund. Egyptian foreign minister and president of COP27, Sameh Shoukry, celebrated after all-night negotiations, declaring that “we rose to the occasion” […]

Displaced and Refugees

Northeast Syria: Turkish Strikes Exacerbate Humanitarian Crisis

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch (Beirut) – Turkish airstrikes since November 20, 2022, are inflicting damage on densely populated areas and critical infrastructure across north and northeast Syria and exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis for Kurds, Arabs, and other communities in the region, Human Rights Watch said today. The strikes have displaced families, caused significant power […]

Authoritarianism

What are Iran’s morality Police? A Scholar of the Middle East explains their History

The Conversation

By Pardis Mahdavi, The University of Montana | – Until recently, most people outside of Iran had never heard of the country’s morality police, let alone followed their wider role in the region. But on Sept. 16, 2022, the death of Jina Mahsa Amini sparked widespread protests in the streets of Iran and elsewhere that […]

China

At Arab Summit, China’s Xi calls for End to Israeli Settlements and Quick Establishment of Palestinian State With East Jerusalem as Capital

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – China’s trade with the Arab world was over $330 billion in 2021, and will likely be a third larger this year, given the high price of petroleum. The largest single source of oil for China is Saudi Arabia. It imports significant amounts of petroleum, as well, from Oman, Kuwait and […]

Authoritarianism

Family Says Son Died After Torture By Iranian Security Agents

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By RFE/RL’s Radio Farda Shadman Ahmadi died in police custody in Kurdistan. The family of a 22-year-old Iranian protester says their son has died in a detention center after being tortured for hours following his arrest during a protest in the western Iranian city of Dehgolan. The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network quoted Shadman Ahmadi’s […]

Authoritarianism

Iran executes first Protester as Human Rights Abuses come under International Scrutiny

The Conversation

By Sahar Maranlou, University of Essex | – Iran’s execution of protester Mohsen Shekari is the first after a huge wave of unrest swept around the country in the autumn of 2022. Shekari was found guilty by a Iranian Revolutionary Court of “moharebeh” (enmity against God), news sources reported. Human rights groups say Shekari and […]

Children

In Turkey, a Child Bride Scandal puts Religious Cults in the Spotlight

Arzu Geybullayeva

( Globalvoices.org ) – They call themselves the Ismailağa Brotherhood, and they are among countless religious orders and brotherhoods in Turkey. But though these religious groups normally slip under the radar, the Ismailağa Brotherhood has been making the headlines in recent days over a child bride scandal. According to local news reporting, one of the members […]