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Human Rights

Europe in Motion

'Wholly unsuitable conditions': How full are Europe's prisons?

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Europe News

UN watchdog rebukes Sweden for deporting disabled child twice

The committee, a body of 18 independent experts, monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by its state parties and conducts regular country reviews.

Europe News

French prison guards strike over overcrowding and staff shortages

French prison guards blockaded facilities nationwide over overcrowding and staff shortages, as unions demand emergency hiring in a system nearing 90,000 inmates.

Europe News

Assisted dying bill fails in UK as advocates vow to fight on

MPs in the House of Commons had backed legalising euthanasia for adults who have been given less than six months to live and can clearly express a wish to die, in a historic vote last June.

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20,000 teddy bears in Washington highlight abducted Ukrainian children

A sea of 20,000 teddy bears on the US National Mall highlights Ukrainian children abducted since 2021, urging action as the war’s toll on families grows.

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Iran

Iran executes former atomic agency employee amid Mossad spy claims

Iran executes former atomic energy employee Mehdi Farid for alleged Mossad links as rights groups decry opaque trial, coerced confessions and media blackout.

Iran

Iran hangs man accused of ties to Israel and arson during protests

Iran executes Amirali Mirjafari for allegedly plotting to burn a Tehran mosque and collaborating with Israel and the US, as rights groups decry rising executions.

Europe News

UN experts warn of human rights abuses in Belarus' prison system

There are more than 1,100 political prisoners in Belarusian jails, many arrested after a disputed 2020 election that triggered widespread protests.

Europe News

Swedish rights groups slam 'honest living' criteria for migrants

The Swedish Refugee Law Centre, an organisation that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers, says the proposals will make the process for residence permits unpredictable.

Iran

Iran executed at least 1,639 in 2025, international NGOs say

Rights groups including Amnesty International say Iran carries out the most executions of any nation worldwide per capita, and the most of any country other than China, for which no reliable data is available.

Turkey

Turkey puts 11 leaders of LGBTQ+ association on trial for 'obscenity'

Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but the LGBTQ+ community is frequently targeted by authorities who blame it for the country's declining birth rate.

Iran

Iran hangs teenage champion wrestler as part of group execution

Rights groups said the trio, who included a teenager who had taken part in international wrestling competitions, were executed without a fair trial and had given confessions under torture.

Europe in Motion

Number of trafficking victims in Europe might be 'higher' than thought

More than 39,000 human trafficking cases were recorded in Europe in 20 years. War and displacement, especially in Ukraine, are fuelling the crisis, as victims face forced labour and sexual exploitation.

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Russia marks Navalny grave anniversary amid poison test fallout

Relatives and diplomats mark Alexei Navalny’s death in Moscow, as his family demands truth and Europe cites lab tests pointing to rare toxin poisoning.

Europe News

Reinterpreting European human rights risks rollbacks, watchdog warns

The head of Europe's leading human rights organisation warned that reviewing human rights to deal with migration challenges could become a Pandora's box.

Denmark

Denmark to expel non-Danish citizens if jailed for one year or more

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen acknowledged the government was acting "unconventionally" by not waiting for court decisions in deportation cases.

Iran

Rising executions in Iran suggest use as tool of intimidation, UN says

At least 47% of executions carried out in Iran in 2025 had been related to drug offences, the UN human rights office said.