Turkish government claims that Kurdish rebels in the country's east are profiting from the hashish trade point to an integrated counter-insurgency and drug enforcement campaign.
Human Rights Watch accused the United Arab Emirates of operating secret facilities in Yemen, where detainees have been "forcibly disappeared, tortured, and abused."
Following rare public protests in defiance of harsh security measures, Egypt's Constitutional Court temporarily blocked the transfer of two disputed Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
Qatar's diplomatic isolation by the other Gulf states, accused of supporting terrorism in the region, heightens contradictions for the Pentagon's use of the critical al-Udeid Air Base.
Amid an alarming and fast-spreading cholera outbreak in Yemen, Saudi warplanes struck a hospital in Sa'ada governorate, killing several patients and demolishing the building.
The UN Human Rights Commissioner called on Bahrain to investigate the deaths of several protesters during a security operation against supporters of a persecuted Shi'ite cleric.
A court in Bahrain dissolved the main opposition political party, an act Amnesty International said is a step toward the "total suppression of human rights" in the Persian Gulf monarchy.
Amid jeers and demands for the death penalty from government supporters, a trial opened for over 200 Turkish ex-officials accused in last year's attempted coup.
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion stated that Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen must end their campaign of harassment against the Bahá'í community.
Two sisters abused by their family in Saudi Arabia were deported by Turkey—despite their asylum bid and fears they will be tortured or even executed by Saudi authorities.
In his White House meeting with Erdogan, Trump was sure to pledge support against the PKK "terrorists"—even as the US is backing PKK-aligned Kurds against ISIS in Syria.
The UN Special Rapporteur on protection of human rights while countering terrorism said that Saudi Arabia's sweeping anti-terror laws pose a threat to fundamental freedoms.
