BRUSSELS | 16 June 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Ethiopia, Sudan and The 62nd session of the Human Rights Council taking place in Geneva. Situation in Ethiopia (per 16 June) Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has resumed mediation efforts between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia’s […]
From Bani Walid to Zwolle: The Smugglers Are Now in the Dock
By Cedric Stephany and Mirjam van Reisen | BRUSSELS, Belgium | 12 June 2026 (IDN) — A pro forma hearing against the alleged human trafficker called Kidane, took place last month in Zwolle in The Netherlands, marking another step in what has become one of the most significant human trafficking prosecutions in European legal history. […]
Post-war Business of Eritrean Refugees in Post-War Tigray: Emergence of new Human Trafficking Routes
By Daniel Tesfa, Shim Masha, Bereket Tsegay, Kristína Melicherová, Makeda Saba, Filmon Gebremikael and Mirjam van Reisen | MEKELLE, Ethiopia | 11 June 2026 (IDN) — New routes evolving human trafficking for ransom are emerging following the signing of the cease-fire agreement between Tigray and the national government of Ethiopia, involving refugees fleeing Eritrea. Mekelle, […]
European Parliament Publishes Study on Transnational Repression
European Parliament publishes study on transnational repression; Eritrean diaspora among those impacted
Will Human Rights Survive a Trumpian World?
By Jan Servaes * Bangkok, Thailand| 5 February 2026 (IDN) As is tradition, for the 36th time, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has examined the human rights situation in more than 100 countries in a 529-page World Report 2026. In his introductory essay, titled “Will Human Rights Survive a Trumpian World? Authoritarian Advances Threaten Rules-Based Order,” […]
How the EU’s Initiated Crackdown on Human Smuggling Will Impact Migration Systems for the Better or the Worse.
BRUSSELS. Belgium | 21 January 2026 (IDN) — “We Europeans, decide who comes to Europe and crosses our borders, and under what circumstances, and not the smugglers and traffickers” was the message in European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen’s speech, kicking off the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling conference on 10 December in […]
Karapetyan’s Case Crucial for Armenia’s future
By Benoit Lannoo* YEREVAN, Armenia | 14 August 2025 (IDN) — Today at 5:30 PM local time, an Armenian anti-corruption Court in Yerevan will decide on a petition of the General Prosecutor of the country to prolong the detention of Mr. Samvel Karapetyan. Last Monday, the Armenian Court of Criminal Appeals already decided that Mr. […]
European Parliament Adopts a Historic Resolution on Eritrea
By Klara Smits and Florence Tornincasa
STRASBOURG (IDN) – The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on Eritrea, which sends a strong signal to the European Commission, the EU Council, member states and the Eritrean government that human rights violations in the country need to be addressed.
The resolution approved on March 10 clearly identifies that Eritrean refugees are fleeing serious human rights violations and an indefinite national service which constitutes slavery.
The resolution also addresses the systematic extortion of refugees, a concern expressed earlier in resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.
Kudos and Criticism on Human Rights Council’s 10th Anniversary
GENEVA (IDN) – “What we are doing to improve human rights situation around the world is not enough,” stated the American attorney and diplomat Alfred Moses in a critical reflection on the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) stressing that the state of human rights has broadly deteriorated with atrocities being committed worldwide.
“What we need is action. We must ask ourselves why is it that the UNHRC has done so little,” noted the Ambassador speaking on a panel at the Geneva Summit on Human Rights and Democracy in Switzerland on February 23.
The inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 member states, which are elected by the UN General Assembly, was created in 2006. It replaced the functional Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) within the overall framework of the UN.
UN Acts To Achieve Complete Gender Equality Ahead Of 2133
BERLIN | DAVOS (IDN) – Declaring that the empowerment of the world’s women is “a global imperative”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the first-ever High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.
The establishment of the Panel, backed by the United Kingdom, the World Bank Group and UN Women, was proclaimed in Davos, Switzerland, the venue of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), on January 21.