After five weeks of war, the US and Iran on April 8 agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Its basic details, however, and to what extent it will be implemented, are surrounded by uncertainty. A main sticking point is the question of whether Lebanon was included in the deal. Iranian and Pakistani officials are insisting it was, but the US and Israel say that it wasn’t. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to carry out devastating attacks on Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.

The shaky ceasefire is based on a 10-point plan to end the war sent by Iran to Washington in the final hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump. If Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatened on April 7 that a “whole civilization will die tonight.” Since the ceasefire began, some vessels have begun to trickle through the strait, but Iran is maintaining its chokehold on passage. The fate of the ceasefire could be decided in the coming days as US and Iranian officials head to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, for peace talks.

Israel’s position on the question of whether Lebanon was part of the US-Iran ceasefire was made painfully clear on April 8, as Israel unleashed a massive series of attacks on Beirut and throughout the country. Many of the strikes targeted densely-populated civilian neighborhoods, killing at least 303 people, by the latest count. Hospitals now struggling to deal with the influx of casualties were already working on power supplied by emergency generators, with supplies dwindling.

On April 9, Israel issued an evacuation order for the Beirut neighbourhood of Jnah, which includes two hospitals, Rafik Hariri University Hospital and al-Zahraa, that are treating the injured. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said there is nowhere to evacuate patients to, and urged Israel to reverse the order. While various aid groups and leaders urge for the inclusion of Lebanon in the truce, and issue conflicting statements, Lebanese civilians are once again left to wait, search for survivors, and mourn the dead.

From The New Humanitarian, April 10

Image: Pixabay

In Iran, approximately 2,345 people have been arrested on charges related to “national security.” Many of these, as well as more arbitrarily arrested during the January protests, are being held in harsh conditions and incommunicado detention. The state has also cut internet access to prevent external sharing of information. Three protesters were publicly hanged in March after being convicted of “waging war against God” based on “confessions” obtained under torture. Many more are at imminent risk of execution.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, issued a statement stressing the grave nature of this situation:

It is unconscionable that even as the population is reeling from conflict and mass bereavement amid the ongoing aerial bombardment by Israel and the USA, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to weaponize the death penalty to eradicate dissenting voices and further terrify people.

The wave of repression and arbitrary detentions extends across the Midlle East. In Bahrain, activist Sayed Mohammed al-Mousawi died in custody in March after suspected torture. Human Rights Watch has also decried Bahrain’s blanket ban on protests.

In Qatar and the UAE, authorities have announced hundreds of detentions for sharing information showing the impact of strikes. In Kuwait, authorities imposed a new decree of imprisonment and steep fines for anyone who “undermine[s] the prestige of the military” or works toward eroding public trust in the armed forces. In Jordan, at least four government critics have been arrested. For example, Omar Awad was taken from the streets by security forces without explanation and has been denied contact with his family and lawyers.

In Palestine, Türk warned of similar trends. Israeli authorities have detained 200 Palestinians on the occupied West Bank since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, including for posting on social media, or on suspicion of “incitement” or “glorifying the enemy.” Rights groups have also reported a rise in direct violence by Israeli forces and settlers. One school principal in Dura, outside Hebron, was physically assaulted and had his home vandalized by Israeli authorities in response to a post he reportedly published in support of Iran. Israel has also recently passed legislation providing for a death penalty to apply selectively to Palestinians for particular crimes.

Türk summarized the increased restrictions on rights, stating:

We are witnessing a sharp securitisation of civic space across the region, with severe restrictions imposed by governments on people exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Waves of arrests and broad clampdowns, mostly on vaguely defined accusations, have had a deeply chilling effect on people, many of whom are already living with uncertainty, fear and anxiety.

Türk called on states to respect their obligations under international human rights law related to freedom of expression and assembly, ensuring access to legal counsel, due process, and a fair trial.

From JURIST, April 2. Used with permission. Internal links added.

Image: Pixabay

Image: Pixabay

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned March 17 that the escalating hostilities in the Middle East could lead to record levels of food insecurity, and the largest disruption in the global economy and humanitarian efforts since the COVID-19 pandemic.

WFP deputy executive director and chief operating officer Carl Skau said: “If this conflict continues, it will send shockwaves across the globe, and families who already cannot afford their next meal will be hit the hardest.” Skau urged the international community to mount an adequately funded humanitarian response.

Since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, the conflict has spread to encompass much of the region, causing thousands of civilian casualties and forcibly displacing over 3 million people. The WFP predicts 45 million people may slide into acute hunger (a level known as IPC Phase 3+) if the conflict continues. Due to the heavy reliance of food and aid distribution on energy, the skyrocketing price of oil has placed heightened strain on already over-stretched aid supply lines. The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has also increased fertilizer costs, posing a more long-term threat to food security.

In 2025, an estimated 318 million people across 68 countries were already experiencing acute food insecurity, with 41.1 million under “Emergency” conditions or worse (IPC Phase 4+). The number of people facing catastrophic hunger (Phase 5) remained alarmingly high in 2025, exceeding 1 million.

Import-reliant countries, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, face the greatest risk. Humanitarian organizations are already spread thin by tightening budgets, as well as the proliferation and exacerbation of global crises. Global funding for foreign aid has contracted exponentially in recent years, with a sharp decline following President Trump’s signing of Executive Order 14169, which effectively suspended most operations of USAID. Together, these developments place extraordinary pressure on humanitarian organizations, leaving millions at risk of famine. Sudan and Somalia were named as particularly vulnerable.

From JURIST, March 19. Used with permission.

Note: Hunger in the Global South has already been exacerbated by Trump’s trade tariffs regime, while spikes in the price of oil and grain since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022 have contributed to popular privation and unrest worldwide.

Photo: Alex Blokha via Wikimedia Commons

Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed hundreds, including children, and destroyed homes and healthcare facilities, while Hezbollah rockets have injured civilians in Israel. Mass displacement has forced families into overcrowded areas, with access to healthcare, food and education severely disrupted.

Israeli warnings and forced displacement orders, coupled with open threats of Gaza-level destruction, have deepened fears and worsened humanitarian conditions, Al-Kheetan said. He added:

In many instances, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed entire residential buildings in dense urban environments, with multiple members of the same family, including women and children, often killed together. Such attacks raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law. People displaced by the fighting and living in tents along Beirut’s seafront have also been hit. And in recent days, at least 16 medical staff have been killed.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed that since March 2, Lebanon has recorded 912 deaths, including 111 children, and 2,221 injured in attacks.

Article 48 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocol 1 mandates that parties to a conflict must distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between “civilian objects and military objectives.” Parties must direct their operations only toward military objectives. Israel’s apparent targeting of civilians and civilian objects in Lebanon potentially constitute war crimes, Al-Kheetan found.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called for an immediate halt to the fighting and accountability for all violations. He also urged the international community to increase support for Lebanon’s humanitarian response.

From JURIST, March 17. Used with permission.

Image via Flickr

İmamoğlu faces charges including corruption, defrauding public institutions, bribery, extortion, and laundering proceeds of crime. His case is part of a mass trial involving more than 400 co-defendants, most of whom worked for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which İmamoğlu has headed since 2019. Other co-defendants include elected officials from İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), journalists, and İmamoğlu’s lawyer.

Critics of the trial say that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is politically influencing the proceedings as part of a broader judicial campaign intended to impede the CHP’s ability to function as an effective opposition party and to prevent İmamoğlu and other CHP officials from exercising their rights to political participation.

In a published statement, İmamoğlu wrote that he is “not being judged fairly in front of an independent and unbiased judiciary.” During the hearings, CHP leader Özgür Özel accused the prosecution of acting on Erdoğan’s orders, saying that the judges “have already made their verdict.” İmamoğlu described the trial as an “attempt to overturn the will of the people” and “one of the toughest tests of democracy” in Türkiye’s history.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) raised concerns about Türkiye’s abuse of prosecutions and weaponization of the legal apparatus against political opponents. Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Türkiye is a party, forbids restrictions on rights and freedoms “for any purpose other than those for which they have been prescribed.”

İmamoğlu has been targeted by the Turkish judicial system throughout his term as mayor. He was convicted in 2022 for allegedly insulting members of the Supreme Election Council, a conviction currently on appeal before the Court of Cassation. On June 24, 2024, İmamoğlu was indicted for slander, a case that he settled out of court. On Feb. 5, 2025, İmamoğlu was indicted for criticizing Akın Gürlek, the chief prosecutor who directly oversaw the main criminal investigation against him. He was convicted on charges of insulting a public official and making threats after describing Gürlek’s “reasoning” as “rotten.”

This weeks hearings join a long list of proceedings targeting CHP officials, including other elected mayors. Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was indicted for “membership in an armed organization” on Oct. 30, 2024. Seven CHP mayors have been arrested and detained for charges of criminal activity and corruption, and there is an ongoing criminal case against İmamoğlu and 11 others into claims that they paid people to vote for Özel as party chair secretary at the 2023 party congress.

Benjamin Ward, Europe and Central Asia deputy director at HRW, said that “it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that prosecutors are trying to remove İmamoğlu from politics and discredit his party in ways that undermine democracy.”

From JURIST, March 10. Used with permission.

See our last report on the crackdown on political opposition in Türkiye.

Photo: Hunanuk via Wikimedia Commons

The February 28 attack in the southern coastal city of Minab reportedly killed 168 people. According to Iran’s Minister of Education Alireza Kazemi, the overwhelming majority of the slain were schoolgirls aged seven to 12. The strike came on the first day of coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes officially targeting Iranian infrastructure and military facilities.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, described the attack as “absolutely horrific,” adding that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk was “deeply shocked” and has called for a “prompt, impartial and thorough investigation.”

Shamdasani stressed that the “onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it,” and “make public the findings and to ensure accountability and redress for the victims.” If attacks were found to be directed against civilians or civilian objects or to be indiscriminate, they would constitute “serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.”

Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Ali Bahreini, accused the US and Israel of deliberately attacking the school. He further stated that similar strikes on civilian targets occurred on the same day in other locations, including eastern Tehran and Abyek in Qazvin province.

Neither the US nor Israel has confirmed responsibility for the school attack. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Monday that US forces “would not deliberately target a school.” Israeli officials said they were reviewing reports of the incident.

The widening conflict began when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian targets Feb. 28, cutting short ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and US allies across the region. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the first day of airstrikes .

According to UN officials, at least 12 countries have been affected, while Iran’s Red Crescent Society has counted 787 deaths since the initial strikes.

The conflict has also spread to Lebanon as Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel, triggering Israeli strikes and the displacement of civilians. The UN Refugee Agency estimatesthat about 30,000 people have sought protection in shelters in Lebanon, while disruptions in key shipping routes and the temporary closure of Gaza crossings are complicating humanitarian aid deliveries.

When the airstrikes began, Türk deplored both the strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliation, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law. “The protection of civilians is paramount,” he said, calling for immediate de-escalation and a return to the “negotiating table” to prevent “further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale.”

Malala Yousafzai, UN Messenger of Peace and Nobel Peace Laureate, also condemned the school attack, likewise calling for all parties to “uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and safeguard schools.”

From JURIST, March 4. Used with permission.

Photo: Mehr via Wikimedia Commons

Authorities carried out raids across 21 provinces one day after a deadly clash between police and ISIS militants in Yalova, a small city south of Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara, amid heightened security ahead of New Year’s celebrations. Three police officers and six presumed ISIS militants, all Turkish nationals, were killed in the shoot-out in Yalova, sparked by a raid on suspected safe-house.

Yerlikaya stated that the subsequent nationwide raids were carried out simultaneously by provincial police units, working with the national counterterrorism and intelligence departments. The raids took place in major cities including Istanbul and Ankara, as well as in Yalova and several border and interior provinces.

A statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said suspects are accused of belonging to ISIS, maintaining contact with ISIS elements in conflict zones, or raising money under the guise of charity and sending it to ISIS-linked networks. It stated that some suspects were identified through analysis of digital evidence seized during earlier investigations.

Yerlikaya further said that Turkey has expanded nationwide security measures for the New Year holiday period. He emphasized that all Interior Ministry units are on heightened alert, including police, gendarmerie, coast guard, migration authorities, and emergency response teams. Authorities are to use cameras, license plate recognition systems, facial recognition systems, and body-worn cameras to support security operations. These measures will be in effect for four days from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2.

Although ISIS no longer controls large areas of territory in Syria and Iraq (both of which border Turkey), officials say the group continues to operate through small, clandestine cells. Militants have carried out several deadly attacks in Turkey in the past. Most famously, ISIS claimed responsibility for a New Year’s Eve nightclub shooting in Istanbul in the first hours of 2017 that killed 39 people.

From JURIST, Dec. 31. Used with permission. Internal links added.

Map: CIA

The STC was excluded from the peace talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia that opened in 2023. It has been widely accused of human rights violations, including running clandestine prisons in conjunction with UAE forces. It declared self-rule in its areas of control in 2020.

Map of Yemen before 1990 unification via Wikipedia

HRW emphasized that it is illegal under Yemeni law to make arrests without a warrant and further stated that detention without a legal basis or prompt charges and criminal proceedings violates both domestic and international law.

Niku Jafarnia, HRW Yemen researcher, stated that Houthi authorities “should immediately release all those arbitrarily detained and shift their focus to protecting the rights and fulfilling the needs of those living in areas under their control.” Jafarnia added: “They should also free others arbitrarily detained, including those held for commemorating the September 26 revolution, journalists, lawyers, and dozens of United Nations…staff.”

Houthi authorities have also targeted humanitarian workers, including at least 19 UN staff who were arbitrarily detained on Aug. 31. Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, denounced the move, stating:

I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sana’a and Hodeidah, as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property… These arrests violate the fundamental obligation to respect and protect their safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their essential work in Yemen.

The Houthis are a Zaydi Shi’ite movement that took control of Yemen’s capital city Sanaa in September 2014 and later seized control over much of northern and western Yemen. According to HRW, they have been detaining political opponents since the takeover, though the number of arrests has increased in recent months.

From JURIST, Nov. 29. Used with permission. Internal links added.

Note: Houthi authorities have announced that the detained UN personnel are also to face trial for espionage.

The revolution of Sept. 26, 1962 established the Yemen Arab Republic in North Yemen, which was formally disbanded with Yemen’s unification in 1990.

Map via PCL