By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK, Thailand | 28 July 2026 (IDN) — Speaking at the launch of the report ‘Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment for South-East Asia’ by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok on Wednesday (22 July), New Zealand’s ambassador to Thailand, Raylene Liufalani noted that these criminal networks are […]
EEPA reports on Sudanese government to sue the UAE and RSF
BRUSSELS | 20 July 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Sudan, Ethiopia, Food and water shortages in El Obeid and UK and US announce new sanctions on Sudan. International and regional situation (per 20 July) The Sudanese government has revealed that it has conclusive evidence of the involvement of […]
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, […]
Situation Report: Court case of alleged Eritrean smuggler Kidane starts in the Netherlands
The summary of the Walid Hearings in Court in The Netherlands can be accessed on the EEPA website Kidane first Court Hearing The Netherlands (per 31 March 2026) Kidane appeared in a public Court hearing for the tribunal in Zwolle, The Netherlands. The Zwolle Tribunal was previously in charge of the trials of Walid (Tewelde […]
Violent Eritrean smuggler Walid gets maximum sentence of 20 years in Dutch court
On 27 January 2026, the Dutch court in Zwolle delivered a significant verdict in the case against a suspect known as Walid, or Tewelde Goitom, convicting him on nearly all charges related to widespread human rights abuses against refugees in Libya. The court, in a comprehensive ruling totaling around 100 pages, sentenced Walid to the […]
Situation Report Special: Cruel Eritrean smuggler Walid gets the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
Walid hearing verdict (per 27 January 2026) The judges in the Dutch court in Zwolle found the suspect in the ‘Walid’ case guilty of almost all charges and sentenced him to the maximum of 20 years in prison. The full verdict comprises around 100 pages. The judge presented the main points of the verdict during […]
As Myanmar’s Civil War Drives Global Scam Industry, Human Rights May Need Rethink
*By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK. | 23 January 2026 (IDN) —With Myanmar’s three-stage elections hitting the home stretch later this week on Sunday, ending the country’s civil war may need to take center stage in the post-election period. It is fueling a global scam industry that is destabilizing not only the Southeast Asian region, but also […]
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 […]
20 Years Demanded in Extraordinary Trial Against Brutal Alleged Eritrean Human Smuggler ‘Walid’
ZWOLLE, The Netherlands| 10 December 2025 (IDN) — The Dutch public prosecutor has demanded the maximum sentence of 20 years of prison, and over 2 million EUR in damages in the case of alleged Eritrean smuggler Tewelde Goitom “Walid”, accused of earning large sums of money through the kidnapping, torturing, and extorting of refugees in […]