Category: Asia
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Thai, Cambodian leaders agree to ceasefire
After five days of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, which has led to more than 30 deaths, the two countries have agreed to a ceasefire. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai joined peace talks in Malaysia, hosted by the Malaysian Prime Minister. The talks were co-organised by the US…
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ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders for persecution of women and girls
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Haibatullah Akhundzada, Supreme Leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Chief Justice of the Taliban. Following the submission of two applications for arrest on 23rd January 2025 by the ICC, the Pre-Trial Chamber II has issued both warrants, on 8th July 2025. Based on evidence…
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Mother Nature Cambodia group activists in prison one year
Five Cambodian environmental defenders have completed one year of their six to eight-year prison terms on ‘baseless charges,’ said Human Rights Watch. On 2nd July 2024, the Phnom Penh Court found ten activists from the group guilty of ‘plotting against the government.’ Five were imprisoned immediately while four others were tried in absentia, and the…
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Kyrgyzstan abolishes its independent torture monitoring body
The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has expressed its dismay at Kyrgyzstan’s decision to abolish its National Centre for the Prevention of Torture (NCPT) without public consultation. The Kyrgyz Government had initially outlined plans to transfer the functions of the NCPT to the Kyrgyz Institute of the Ombudsman in June 2022. It has…
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Widespread environmental and human rights violations in Myanmar linked to ‘green’ energy industry
A policy brief from EarthRights International brings to light the impact of environmental destruction and human rights violations resulting from the mining of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) in Kachin State, Myanmar. Two key HREEs, dysprosium and terbium are main constituents needed to produce NdFeB magnets which are used in a variety of renewable energy…
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Uncomfortable bond: China and Taiwan
Officially known as the Republic of China, Taiwan is an island separated from the mainland of China by the Taiwan Strait and has been independently governed by ROC since 1949. Relations between mainland China and Taiwan have since then been fraught with tension, as China asserts that any recognition of Taiwan as a separate state…
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