EU, 26 countries condemn Iran's executions of protesters The EU and 26 countries condemned Iran's executions of protesters in a joint statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday. The countries called on Iran to listen to its people, take meaningful steps towards ensuring respect for human rights, immediately end the use of the death penalty and release those detained.
Twenty-six countries condemn in 'strongest terms' Iran executions Twenty-six nations, including France, the UK and Canada, have condemned the use of capital punishment by Iranian authorities, saying in a joint statement the Islamic republic was executing protesters to "silence dissent". The countries, joined by the European Union's top diplomat, "condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty" by Iran. "The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified".
'This isn't the Britain I grew up in': The elderly activists raided by police over Palestine Action videos Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 13:00 Activists say police searched their entire homes, confiscating personal devices and items bearing the Palestinian flag, even rifling through personal diaries Police remove protesters from outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London on 15 June 2026, as the High Court ruled on a legal standoff between the government and activist group Palestine Action (AFP) Off Marji Mansfield, a 70-year-old grandmother of seven, has been waiting for British counterterrorism police to show up at her door. The anxiety sharpens between five and seven in the morning, when police usually conduct dawn raids, particularly if she has her grandchildren stay overnight. “It’s been really, really quite scary not knowing when there's going to be the knock at the door,” Mansfield told Middle East Eye.
US rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctions Four US-based rights groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for its sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a statement, the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Institute called the sanctions "blatantly illegal". They said they are being forced "to curtail a wide range of human rights and legal work in violation of...
US rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctions Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 20:40 The president's targeting of the court has created legal risk for US-based human rights advocates A man takes a photograph of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands on 28 March 2026 (John Thys/AFP) Off Four US-based rights groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for its sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a statement, the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Institute called the sanctions "blatantly illegal". They said they are being forced "to curtail a wide range of human rights and legal work in violation of...
Exclusive: ICC issued two secret arrest warrants for Taliban members for gender persecution Submitted by Sondos Asem on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 16:01 International Criminal Court issued warrants last year after secret applications prepared under Karim Khan Afghan women along with a girl walk along a street in Loy Viala village in Afghanistan's Kandahar on 21 June 2026 (Sanaullah Seiam/AFP) Off Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued two secret arrest warrants last year for senior members of the Taliban for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender and political grounds, Middle East Eye can reveal. According to sealed documents and sources briefed on the matter, the warrants were issued confidentially by a panel of three judges in September 2025. This was two months after the same panel publicly issued arrest warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Afghanistan’s chief justice, for the same crime.
Palestinian medics in Israel face incitement over unproven patient abuse claims Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 15:34 Arab rights group condemns ministers for amplifying allegations against medical staff at Haifa hospital Hospital staff move a baby in an incubator to an underground facility for safety in Tel Aviv on 8 June after sirens sounded following Iranian attacks (AFP/Ilia Yefimovich) Off A body representing Palestinian citizens of Israel has condemned what it called an “obsessive campaign of incitement” by Israeli ministers against Arab medical staff in recent days. The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel was referring to comments by Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who called for an investigation into allegations that Arab medical workers mistreated wounded Israeli soldiers. The claims were made by relatives of a soldier wounded in Lebanon and treated at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.
Israeli settler who took part in brutal assault on Palestinians released from house arrest Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 13:05 During the March attack, six settlers bound Palestinians of all ages with zip-ties, beat them with wooden sticks, and threatened to kill them A Palestinian woman dries her clothes before being evacuated from Khirbet Humsa on 15 May 2019 (MEE) Off An Israeli settler who took part in a brutal attack in which a Palestinian man was stripped naked, had his genitals bound with a zip-tie and was paraded in front of his family has been released from house arrest. The Israeli army said in a statement on Monday that Tal Yinon Dardik, who reportedly took part in the 13 March attack on the Palestinian community of Khirbet Humsa in the occupied West Bank, was being freed from house arrest but would have to report to a police station twice a day. The army said that the decision came after the Jerusalem District Court ruled that the location of his house arrest was untenable.
Israel holding bodies of 1,700 Palestinians as bargaining chips, says report Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 11:09 Shin Bet chief David Zini reportedly backs move despite no Israeli captives being held by Palestinian groups Body bags containing human remains after civil defence teams exhumed graves at Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, 7 December 2025 (AFP) Off Israel is holding the dead bodies of about 1,700 Palestinians as potential bargaining chips despite there being no Israeli hostages currently held by Palestinian armed groups, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported. According to the report, Shin Bet chief David Zini has urged Israel to retain the remains for possible use in future hostage negotiations, a position supported by the Israeli military. Haaretz reported that most of the remains belong to Palestinian combatants involved in the Hamas-led 7 October attack in 2023 but also include Palestinian civilians and 13 Israeli citizens.
Israel withholding 1,700 Palestinian bodies for future exchange deals Israel is withholding the bodies of about 1,700 Palestinians for potential use in future exchange deals, despite no Israeli captive being held by Hamas, according to Haaretz. The daily indicated that the figure of Palestinian bodies held by Israel was increased during recent discussions between top Israeli leaders. Israel has long maintained a policy of withholding the bodies of Palestinians.
Less than four percent of US safety funding went to Muslim institutions: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 08/10/2026 - 20:36 Nearly 60 percent of the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program went to Jewish nonprofits Muslims embrace in the parking lot of the Islamic Center of San Diego after three people were killed in a shooting at the city’s largest mosque, in San Diego, California on 19 May 19 2026 (Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images via AFP) Off Over the past decade in the US, since Donald Trump first ascended to the White House in 2017, less than four percent of US government grant funding to keep religious institutions safe has gone to Muslim nonprofits, a new report by the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) has found . The funds are awarded annually through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which is operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). An institution can typically receive a maximum of some $200,000 for each site it operates, and the money must be put toward physical safeguards: security cameras, bulletproof glass, guardrails around properties, and the training of security guards, among other tools.
Zionism has warped the lexicon, so words are now convenient weapons Submitted by Marchella Ward on Tue, 08/04/2026 - 16:28 From 'intifada' to 'Palestine', pro-Israel groups have altered definitions, with consequences ranging from rewritten histories to asset freezes and arrests A police officer detains a Palestine Action supporter during a Defend Our Juries protest outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on 30 July 2026 (SOPA Images via Reuters Connect) Off It is early on a Sunday morning, and you are awoken by armed police officers banging on your door. They hand you a letter : the state will freeze your assets for a further six months, denying you access to your own bank accounts because they disagree with the anti-genocide stance you have publicly expressed. The letter cites a tweet you posted several months ago, in which you criticised the Israeli and US bombardment of Iran .
UK couple detained in Iran ends hunger strike A British couple detained in Iran accused of spying have ended their latest months-long hunger strikes protesting their treatment in prison, their family said Monday. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both aged in their early 50s, were seized in January 2025 as they passed through Iran while on a round-the-world motorbike trip. They were sentenced in February to a decade in prison on espionage charges that they deny, with two years subsequently added to Craig Foreman's term for talking to the media.
Union documents 108 Israeli attacks against Palestinian journalists in July The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate documented 108 attacks by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian journalists and media workers in July. The attacks include detentions, beatings, interrogations, targeting them with stun grenades and tear gas, cases of settler violence, raids on their home and workplaces, seizure of journalistic equipment and obstruction of journalists’ work. These various instances of violence has rendered Palestinian journalists and media personelle unable to carry out their work or cover ongoing human rights violations.
Former Syrian army general arrested in Lebanon Lebanon’s Central Criminal Investigations Bureau has arrested former Syrian army officer Major General Adel Issa, who is wanted by Syria for “crimes against humanity”. An arrest warrant in absentia had been issued by the Syrian judiciary against Issa, who served as commander of the 17th Division of the Syrian Army during Bashar Al-Assad’s rule, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. Lebanese judge Ahmad Rami Al-Hajj has notified the Syrian Public Prosecutor of Issa’s arrest and requested that the judicial file be submitted for review to determine whether he can be handed over to the Syrian authorities, NNA reported.
HRF files complaint against Israeli reservist in Vietnam The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint with Vietnamese authorities against Israeli reservist Matan Jerafi, who is currently vacationing in Vietnam. In a statement, HRF said Jerafi is the CEO of the Israeli NGO Im Tirtzu and a member of the 920th Infantry Battalion of the 769th Brigade. HRF said evidence indicates Jerafi took part in destroying civilian infrastructure in Gaza between December 2023 and January 2024 and in Lebanon between October and November 2024.
'Used as human bait': Leaked image shows elderly Palestinian men before execution by Israeli forces A newly leaked photograph shows two blindfolded elderly Palestinian men from Beit Lahia in Gaza, hours before Israeli forces killed them in November 2024, according to Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi, who published the image. The photograph shows Israeli military personnel standing between two blindfolded men, whom Tirawi identified in a post on X as Nadi Marouf and Ali Marouf. He said the photograph was taken hours before their deaths and that the two men were "used as human bait and then executed".
France shuts mosque over Quran verses and Islamic texts used in Muslim worship Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sat, 08/08/2026 - 17:53 A lawyer for the mosque says the six-month closure strikes at religious freedom and secularism in France A French mounted police officer stand guard outside the Grande Mosquee or the Great Mosque during the Eid Al-Adha morning prayers, in Paris on June 28, 2023. (Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP) Off A French court has upheld the six-month closure of a mosque near Paris in a case that has raised fresh concerns over the state’s policing of Islamic belief and worship. The Montreuil Administrative Court on Friday rejected an attempt to suspend the July order against the Chanteloup mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois.
'Used as human bait': Leaked image shows elderly Palestinian men before execution by Israeli forces Submitted by MEE staff on Sat, 08/08/2026 - 09:38 Journalist says Nadi and Ali Marouf were abducted, used as human shields and killed in northern Gaza in November 2024 The last known photograph of Palestinian men Nadi Marouf and Ali Marouf, who were reportedly killed in November 2024 after being used as human shields (Younis Tirawi/X) Off A newly leaked photograph shows two blindfolded elderly Palestinian men from Beit Lahia in Gaza, hours before Israeli forces killed them in November 2024, according to Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi, who published the image. The photograph shows Israeli military personnel standing between two blindfolded men, whom Tirawi identified in a post on X as Nadi Marouf and Ali Marouf. He said the photograph was taken hours before their deaths and that the two men were "used as human bait and then executed".
'Used as human bait': Leaked image shows elderly Palestinian men before execution by Israeli forces Submitted by MEE staff on Sat, 08/08/2026 - 09:38 Journalist says Nadi and Ali Marouf were abducted, used as human shields and killed in northern Gaza in November 2024 The last known photograph of Palestinian men Nadi Marouf and Ali Marouf, who were reportedly killed in November 2024 after being used as human shields (Younis Tirawi/X) Off A newly leaked photograph shows two blindfolded elderly Palestinian men from Beit Lahia in Gaza, hours before Israeli forces killed them in November 2024, according to Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi, who published the image. The photograph shows Israeli military personnel standing between two blindfolded men, whom Tirawi identified in a post on X as Nadi Marouf and Ali Marouf. He said the photograph was taken hours before their deaths and that the two men were "used as human bait and then executed".
