Residents of the ISIS-held northern Syrian town of Manbij have held unprecedented protests against jihadist rule, according to activists who got the word out via social media.
A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to death for apostasy and abandoning his Muslim faith after he protested the kingdom's religious police.
Saudi Arabia has executed 151 people so far this year, the highest number since 1995—contributing to a global spike in use of the death penalty.
The new Kurdish-Arab alliance in northern Syria continues to advance into ISIS-held territory—in spite of efforts by virtually all the regional powers to sabotage it.
Egyptian authorities arrested prominent human rights activist Hossam Bahgat after military officials questioned him concerning a report he wrote on the use of secret trials.
The Pentagon announces the sale of 900 "smart bombs" to Turkey just as Ankara is preparing to move against US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.
Turkish military forces attacked Kurdish positions on the Syrian border, raising fears that Turkey is moving to establish its "buffer zone."
Saudi Arabia's high court upheld the death sentence of Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, found guilty of sedition over Arab Spring protests.
A Kurdish lawyer in Turkey will face trial for comments he made about the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), saying the group is not a terrorist organization but a political movement.
Bahrain's Court of Appeals convicted rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja on charges related to her ripping up a photo of the country's king during a court hearing in 2014.
Abdel-Karim al-Khadar, a rights advocate and opponent of Islamist extremism, was senteced to 10 years by a Saudi "anti-terrorist" court for criticizing the regime.
A new coalition of 13 armed organizations announced the formation of the Democratic Forces of Syria, which is now planning a major offensive against ISIS.
