human rights

Background China is a multi-ethnic country comprising 56 ethnic groups, with the predominant religion being Buddhism. The Han ethnic majority group represents 91.5 percent of the population, while 55 ethnic minority groups account for 8.5 percent.[i] Uyghur Muslims represent 0.31 percent of China’s population. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, located in China’s northwest, is the […]

In 2018, Maksim Lapunov became one of the most widely known victims of a government-sanctioned purge of gay, bisexual, transgender, and other non-heterosexual men and those who did not conform to traditional gender norms in the Chechen Republic, Russia.[i] He alleged that for twelve days, the government of the Chechen Republic unlawfully detained him in Grozny, […]

“I do not conceive how someone who loves nothing can be happy.”—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, Book IV “Tonight we are just going to have a lesbian night in.”“What makes it a lesbian night in?”“Oh, the fact that it is a night in.”—A.A, personal communication(emphasis added) “Don’t let them inI am too tiredTo hold myself carefullyAnd wink when they circleThe fact […]

In late 2016, most people had never heard of Muhammad bin Salman or Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Both, however, would take control of their respective countries within six months. The shifts of power in Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan represent an abrupt interruption of stable, autocratic regimes. At the outset, there was no reason to expect long-lasting changes […]

BY ALEXANDRA SCHMITT The summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, scheduled for this week in Vietnam, promises to be a dramatic reunion. Trump, for his part, bragged that he and Kim “fell in love” during their last meeting in Singapore and that he “developed a very special bond” with the […]

This is the third episode of our audio interview series. In this episode, Kai speaks to former UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon.  Mr. Ban speaks on his take on climate adaptation, Paris Agreement, the plight of Myanmar, and the human right abuses in North Korea as well as his personal experience working as a civil servant during […]

A historic first: the first ever panel on LGBTQ rights in the Middle East and North Africa at the Arab Conference at Harvard.

BY NABILA ABU-HANTASH I was sitting behind the wheel in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, with my close friend in the passenger’s seat. The car was parked with the ignition switched off. We were waiting for her husband to come back from souvenir shopping, so that we could begin the twenty-three-hour drive back home to Kuwait. He […]

The Gulf state of Qatar has repeatedly promised to reform its much-criticized labor system. Yet two years after its government announced plans to make major changes, the raft of proposed reforms still has not been implemented. What explains the delays? It certainly cannot be chalked up to lack of international pressure. This March, the UN’s […]

BY KHALED K. Last week, an 18-month-old baby was burned to death in an attack by Israeli settlers in Douma, a village in the West Bank that is under Israeli occupation. The settlers left graffiti that read ‘Revenge’ and ‘Long Live Messiah’. The incident made international headlines; however, it is far from unusual. Every week, […]