Human rights
All topics-
Turkey's brain drain
Turkish artists and intellectuals in exile
Turkey's academics, doctors, engineers and journalists are not the only ones who are leaving the country. A growing number of artists, writers and intellectuals now live in exile. Many of them face prison sentences in Turkey if they return home. Ceyda Nurtsch report
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Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Living in constant fear of deportation
About two million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon since the start of the war. However, since the Lebanese economy has nosedived, life for the refugees has become increasingly difficult. This year, Lebanese authorities have stepped up their deportations of Syrian refugees. By Andrea Backhaus in Bar Elias
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Human rights and Islamism in the Gulf
This Barbie can't go to Kuwait
The recent ban of the Barbie film is part of a growing crackdown on feminism and freedom of expression in Kuwait. Hind Al Ansari argues that instead of tightening controls, the government should focus on developing spaces for open dialogue
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Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder
Still no justice
Far from a pariah state after the assassination of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia features ever more prominently on the world stage. How do Saudi activists keep fighting when the world is looking away? By Cathrin Schaer
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Morocco quake
Why the distance, Mohammed VI?
When a devastating earthquake shook Morocco's High Atlas mountains, residents of poor areas where it struck turned for help to the state and the man who leads it, King Mohammed VI. Yet the monarch, with his sweeping powers, has kept a low profile, making just three appearances since
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The Armenian genocide
"Genocide is a feminist issue"
Dots, crosses, lines: tattoos like these were inked on surviving Armenian women after the genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Historian Elyse Semerdjian uses the tattoos to tell their story. Interview by Anna-Theresa Bachmann
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Repression in Sisi's Egypt
Activists targeted in presidential election run-up
Egypt's clampdown on political dissent increasingly includes family members of activists living abroad. The Sisi regime has also admitted to leveraging the release of individual political prisoners for financial aid. Jennifer Holleis reports
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Jordan's new cybercrime law
Heading towards Internet censorship
Jordan's controversial new cybercrime law, now ratified by the king, could have serious consequences for freedom of expression, political participation and the digital economy. By Abdullah Jbour
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Transnational repression
Why a friendlier Middle East is more dangerous for activists
Authoritarian governments often harass and hinder their critics, even if those people are outside the country. As former enemies become friends in the Middle East, will they cooperate to shut down opposition voices? By Cathrin Schaer
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Taliban Afghanistan 2 years on
Report from a forgotten land
15 August 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Taliban's return to Afghanistan. Emran Feroz recently travelled through the country – here is his exclusive report for Qantara.de on everyday life in Kabul
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10 years after Egypt's Rabaa massacre
Still waiting for justice
The massacre of protesters in Cairo under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's watch was one of the worst in modern history – and one of the best documented. But 10 years on, no-one has been held accountable. By Cathrin Schaer
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi border guards killed hundreds of migrants, says HRW report
“They Fired on Us Like Rain”: between March 2022 and June 2023, Saudi border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants attempting to cross the border from Yemen