MIDDLE EAST

‘People have lost confidence in an international system that fails to protect the powerless against the powerful’

Syria back in the fold

Authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad welcomed back into the Arab League despite widespread rights abuses

CONFLICT | CRISIS

‘We dream of hundreds of thousands demonstrating for democracy, equality and human rights’

Israel: assault on judicial independence the tip of the iceberg

Protest movement rises – but needs to acknowledge the full reality of repression

Bahrain: a botched whitewashing attempt

Hosting of Inter-Parliamentary Union summit inadvertently throws the spotlight on denial of democracy and human rights

‘The government uses public relations to mask human rights violations’

Iran: fearless protests, fierce repression

Theocratic regime responds with full force to its biggest-ever challenge

‘The world seems to be starting to forget Syrian refugees’

Qatar 2022: glory at what price?

World Cup tainted by migrant workers’ deaths and numerous other human rights abuses

Bahrain: election without freedoms falls far short of democracy

Empty election ritual held in the absence of opposition leaves ruling power untroubled