Iranian gunboats approached U.S.-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz Three pairs of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, maritime sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday.

Iranian gunboats approached U.S.-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz reut.rs/4ry2AO0

France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US European governments are moving away from U.S. tech giants, opting for domestic or open-source alternatives.

European governments are moving away from U.S. tech giants, opting for domestic or open-source alternatives.

What do taxes have to do with human rights?

New York is hosting negotiations for a UN Convention on International Tax Cooperation this week. HRW's @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social explains more ⤵️

A reminder: Immigrant Rights are Human Rights.

Olivia Dean, Bad Bunny, Shaboozey, and others shared calls for all people to be treated with humanity and dignity during the Grammys on Sunday, which took place amid the Trump administration’s intensified immigration crackdown.

Your eyes on human rights | ProtectDefenders.eu Bulletin It looks like you're trying to reach a page that was built by Mailchimp but is no longer active. Want to know more about us? Visit mailchimp.com

January reminds us why our work matters.
Last month alone:
• 23 attacks against human rights defenders reported
• 728 defenders supported

📖 Read the newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/bdhbeazv
🤝 Stay informed. Stay connected.

Afghanistan : the disturbing, escalating censorship suffocating the free press The Taliban authorities are tightening their grip on the dissemination of information in Afghanistan. In the month of February alone, political programmes on television were banned, the women’s statio...

#Afghanistan: Broadcasting images of living beings was banned in Kapisa Province on 16/01. This ban has affected 24 out of the 34 provinces since the 2024 law on "the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice" and dozens of TV channels have closed or turned into radio stations.

#USA: RSF stands with journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who face bogus charges because they reported the news. The 1st Amendment is a cornerstone of democracy, protecting the press from government abuse, not the other way around. Arresting journalists is an act of cowardice.

Türkiye: Release Furkan Karabay from house arrest — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide ‘That Furkan Karabay finds himself under house arrest after spending over 200 days behind bars on spurious grounds shows that the authorities of Türkiye will stop at nothing to muzzle his investigativ...

#Türkiye: We urge the authorities to immediately release journalist and author Furkan Karabay from house arrest and to end their relentless judicial harassment.

#JournalismIsNotACrime

Read our statement ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/turkiye...

Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Arrested in Iran for Criticizing Regime

Mehdi Mahmoudian, an Iranian screenwriter nominated for an Academy Award, was arrested this weekend in #Iran after signing a statement condemning his government for its deadly crackdown on protesters.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/w...

PEN Melbourne stands with PEN America in calling on the Iranian government to immediately release Ali Asadollahi and for an end to state repression, which is inclusive of such against writers, journalists, and human rights defenders.

Saopštenje Crnogorskog PEN centra

Crnogorski PEN centar najoštrije osuđuje podsticanje vjerske mržnje koje ovih dana učestalo dolazi od strane nosilaca vlasti.

Cuba: The unjust convictions against José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez and rapper Nando OBDC must be overturned  — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide 27 January 2026 — Civil Rights Defenders, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection, PEN Cuba in Exile, and PEN International strongly condemn the prison sentences imposed on the Cuban writer and independent j...

#Cuba: We condemn the prison sentences against writer José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez and artist Fernando Almenares Rivera (Nando OBDC), alongside partners.

Read our joint statement with @atriskartists.bsky.social and Civil Rights Defenders ⬇️

www.pen-international.org/news/cuba-th...

#Iran The Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on its own citizens continues, with members of Iran’s writing community among those arrested.

PEN Sydney condemns Ali’s arrest, and calls for his release.

👉 Click the 🔗 in our bio and read @penamerica.bsky.social's statement.

The US media must stand up to Donald Trump's assault on its freedom - Index on Censorship If the signs weren’t there already, the US President’s speech at Davos made clear his intention to tighten his stranglehold on the free press

#USA: Last week charges were brought against Don Lemon & Georgia Fort. Fort described them as proof of journalism on "trial" in the country.

Here @martinbright.bsky.social highlights more assaults on the media there.

Solidarity is crucial right now.
www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/01/the-...

#Iran: Mehdi Mahmoudian, the co-writer of Oscar-nominated film It Was Just an Accident, has been arrested in Iran. His crime? Signing a statement condemning the recent bloodshed in the country. Another example of how far the government will go to control the narrative.

In Iran, funerals are the new battleground - Index on Censorship The authorities are trying to control how the nation grieves its protesting dead. The people are pushing back

#Iran: The authorities are extorting the families of killed protesters to control how the country grieves. Yet people are pushing back.

Index CEO @jemimahsteinfeld.bsky.social tells us more⬇️
www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/02/in-i...

29.12.25. 52 new books added to the official list of those “harmful to national interests” – Belarus. Banned Books On December 29, 2025, 52 new books were added to the list of printed publications that, according to the authorities, “may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus”: Our Neighbours on th...

52 new books have been banned in Belarus.

The list also included the book by Darota Michaluk “The Belarusian People’s Republic, 1918–1920: At the Origins of Belarusian Statehood.” Books on Belarusian history whose content does not align with the regime’s Russia-oriented policy are often banned.

KAZAKHSTAN: Wife to be jailed for advocating for husband jailed in Xinjiang? Guldaria Sherizat, an ethnic Kazakh originally from Xinjiang, is among 19 people on trial in Taldykorgan on 23 January for "inciting national discord against the Chinese people". At a demonstration sh...

#HumanRights #FoRB #ReligiousFreedom

#Kazakhstan: Wife to be jailed for advocating for husband jailed in Xinjiang?

www.forum18.org/archive.php?...

🇲🇲5️⃣ years after #Myanmar’s military coup, civilians continue to face aerial strikes, torture, sexual violence & starvation by design.

The junta’s sham elections have only entrenched repression, while justice for genocide & nationwide atrocities remains out of reach.

Inaction enables atrocities.

🥶 Today in Homiel, it is -25°C. What does this mean for female political prisoners?

A former political prisoner, with tears in her eyes, tells Viasna that during the current severe cold and snow, she often thinks about those still in Homieĺ Penal colony No. 4

spring96.org/en/news/119534

Head of Viasna and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski spoke in an interview with TV RAIN about the inhumane conditions in Belarusian prisons, Lukashenka’s dependence on Putin, his views on the war, and what the Belarusian authorities still fear.

Their ‘crime’ is organizing a peaceful candle-lit vigil - UCA News Benedict Rogers condemns the National Security Law trial of Albert Ho, Chow Hang-tung, and Lee Cheuk-yan for organizing Hong Kong's Tiananmen vigil.

Our Chair Benedict Rogers reflects on the trial of #ChowHangtung, #LeeCheukyan and #AlbertHo, and urges the international community to demand the release of these three Tiananmen vigil organisers and many other political prisoners in #HongKong 👇

www.ucanews.com/news/their-c...

aappb.org?p=36326 #Burma #Myanmar

In unprecedented move among ASEAN members, Timor-Leste opens war crimes case against Myanmar A senior Timorese prosecutor is reviewing a dossier submitted by the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO), containing evidence of what the group describes as grievous human rights violations by the…

A senior Timorese prosecutor is reviewing a dossier submitted by the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO), containing evidence of what the group describes as grievous human rights violations by the Myanmar military

myanmar-now.org/en/news/in-u...

Thousands marched for democracy in Myanmar. Some died in prison. Shwe Theingi was instantly drawn to Wutt Yee Aung when they met at the start of their second year at Myanmar's Dagon University in 2019.

Many political prisoners have died in prison since the coup attempt.

At least:
74 political prisoners aged between 18 & 35
273 people charged with public incitement & insurrection have lost their lives.

Yet, Myanmar people continue to resist! ✊🏽 www.reuters.com/world/china/...

15 female political prisoners punished for protest marking Myanmar coup anniversary Around 200 women detained at Kalay Prison in Sagaing Region, including regular convicts, took part in the protest

Around 200 women detained at Kalay Prison in Sagaing Region, including regular convicts, took part in the protest

myanmar-now.org/en/news/15-f...

And don't miss our handy terms table with Chinese audio pronunciation further down!

China: independent journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao arrested for reporting on corruption Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the Chinese regime to immediately release independent journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao, who were apprehended by police this week following their investigation i...

#China: RSF urges the Chinese regime to immediately release independent journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao, who were apprehended by police this week following their investigation into corruption by local authorities.

rsf.org/en/china-ind...

Peace talks should bring immediate relief for Ukrainian civilians - Commissioner for Human Rights - www.coe.int Strasbourg 03/02/2026

In light of the relentless campaign of Russian attacks on Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis, peace talks should bring immediate relief for Ukrainian civilians and ensure that the rights and dignity of the Ukrainian people are at the centre.
Read my statement 👇
www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

Secretary-General Grynspan is in Dubai, UAE, for the World Governments Summit 2026.


The UNCTAD chief speaks about “The tipping point in global trade”— from geopolitical pressures and resilient supply chains to digital finance and global cooperation.


Photo: World Governments Summit